


The Long Way Home

by Sue Corkill (mscorkill)



Series: Moebius Trilogy [2]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-02
Updated: 2012-05-02
Packaged: 2017-11-04 17:58:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 33,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/396623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mscorkill/pseuds/Sue%20Corkill
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“They all felt it, that subtle shift in time and space that could only be one thing—time had been rearranged.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Long Way Home

**Author's Note:**

> I had planned that writing about the AU’s from Moebius (in ‘Same As It Ever Was’) would be a one-time deal. And then K sent me some lovely feedback and put the idea in my brain for a sequel. It took well over a year to think of a reason for a sequel and then to actually write it. 
> 
> While it’s not vital that you read ‘Same As It Ever Was’, reading it will certainly help you to understand the basic set-up for this story. ‘Same As It Ever Was’. 
> 
> I've also placed one of the prompts for the sjfanfic10 in the fic, but it seems almost cheating, given I was going to write this story anyway. 
> 
> Many thanks to Wendy for getting all my apostrophes in their correct location (should there be on there?) and to Denise for all her help in plotting this rather complicated (for me) tale. And of course, thanks to K for the nudge to think about another adventure for the AU’s; surprisingly enough, there might actually be one more story out there to tell about their lives.
> 
> Originally posted September 2006

THE LONG WAY HOME

They all felt it, that subtle shift in time and space that could only be one thing—time had been rearranged. Time had little meaning to the ascended, and surprisingly enough, the periodic ripple was not uncommon. But still, Oma had to smile at the monumental non-reaction of the others. Picking up the heavy, ceramic restaurant mug, she took a sip of her coffee, gazing blandly at the tacky surroundings. It amused her to no end to sit at the counter in the waffle shop. The others didn’t care and while it might be petty on her part, it was about the only thing these days that made her smile. 

But, as far as a time paradox could be considered unimportant, this ripple seemed relatively insignificant. Besides, there were greater worries at the moment than the potential consequences from a small ripple in time occurring in such a backwards and inconsequential part of the galaxy. Or so it seemed. 

“Hi there, ho there!” Her nemesis bustled in, forcing his false camaraderie on those gathered, who typically, ignored him. “Hey, doll,” ‘Jim’ greeted her, tossing the latest edition of The Ascended Times down on the counter next to her. “How about some coffee?”

Oma gritted her teeth and bit back the sharp reply she wanted to make. The man was a brute and a boor and she couldn’t believe she had been so gullible. “Get it yourself,” she retorted mildly. 

Jim shrugged. “Have it your way.” He wandered behind the counter and poured his coffee, engaging the cook in some idle chitchat that held little interest for her. 

Ignoring him, she sipped her coffee and scanned the headlines of the newspaper, nothing of much interest on the front page. When Jim didn’t immediately return to claim his paper, she picked it up, idly scanning the headlines on the interior pages when she saw it, buried on the bottom inside corner of the last page. Her heart started beating a little bit faster when she saw his picture staring back at her and read the headline: _‘Doctor Daniel Jackson Stranded in Ancient Egypt’._ She eagerly read the one paragraph story.

_It has been reported that the future ascended being, Doctor Daniel Jackson, along with General Jack O’Neill, Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter and the Jaffa, Teal’c, utilized Ancient technology and traveled back in time to ancient Egypt where they plan to acquire a ‘zero point module’ from the infamous Goa’uld Ra. This reporter’s sources have confirmed that they will be unsuccessful, thus setting into motion a chain of events that will have vast and far reaching consequences for all ascended beings._

Carefully refolding the newspaper and casually laying it back on the counter, Oma took a swallow of her cooling coffee. Time was fluid and while a certain degree of omniscience came with the territory, it wasn’t always reliable—given that whole free will thing mortals possessed. But she recognized the significance of the brief news article and she felt a brief moment of hope. However, she was nothing if not practical and she knew that even now choices were being made that could alter his destiny. 

Yet even when faced with the all the vagaries free will offered, he was a man who was not afraid to make the difficult choices and take a stand against the greatest evil in the world. And just perhaps…through this man…the terrible wrong that she had allowed could be undone. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Two Years Later**

Daniel reached in his pocket for his smallest brush, carefully sweeping away the fine layer of dust that had accumulated in the scant two years that the temple had been deserted. He’d spent the greater part of the last year studying the temple in minute detail, living every archaeologist’s dream, living and working alongside the very people he had spent his life studying. This small chamber, hidden behind the throne room, had been a surprise. Its location was unusual and when it had recently been discovered, he had naturally assumed that Ra kept items of great import there. 

So Daniel was surprised to find it almost empty, its only contents a decorated terracotta jar standing in elegant isolation on a low table, and a plain white canopic jar, tucked into a recessed spot in the wall. Daniel carefully examined the canopic jar first, his brows drawing together in a frown when he discovered no identifying markings on it and nothing in it. 

Setting the puzzling jar back in the alcove, he picked up the elaborate terracotta jar next, running his fingers along the engravings. He knew them all by heart; Ra, Osiris, Isis, Setesh, Heru’ur, Apophis. His fingers paused over the smaller symbol for Amounet, the bittersweet memory of his former life briefly dimming his pleasure with his latest discovery in Ra’s temple. And then he recognized the symbol for Anubis…along with symbols he had never thought to see linked to any Goa’uld.

His hands were actually trembling when he broke the seal on the jar and removed the lid, he half expected the jar to explode or for something equally deadly to occur, but nothing did. There was no symbiote left in stasis, no poisonous gas, merely a carefully rolled scroll. After a long moment, Daniel replaced the lid with great care and sat back on his heels, his eyes focused off in the distance. 

The unexpected symbols were from a time he had consciously decided to forget. His former life seemed like nothing more than a dream and parts of that dream had taken on a surreal quality that often left him wondering if those instances had actually happened. But to see them here, and in connection with Anubis, was so totally unexpected that he couldn’t quite quell the feeling of dread that had settled into his stomach.

“Daniel?”

Daniel jerked around, instinctively reaching for a weapon that he hadn’t carried in over two years, only to find a puzzled-looking Yousef standing in the doorway to the small chamber. 

“Mother sent me,” the boy said. “It is long past dinner.”

“Dinner?” Daniel asked almost stupidly, his thoughts still lost in the past.

Yousef sighed and gave him a long-suffering look that only children are capable of giving adults. “It grows late and she was worried.” 

Daniel stood, cradling the jar in his arms. There was only the light from his oil lamp in the small chamber, but from the shadows cast in the larger chamber beyond, he realized that the sun had long set. He took his meals with Katep and his family, so he wasn’t too surprised that Dereyni had sent Yousef to find him. “Tell your mother I’ll be right there,” he told the boy. 

Yousef nodded and left; Daniel stood for a moment longer, curiously indecisive, his arms tightening around the terracotta jar. Over the last few years, his life had settled into a comfortable—and comforting—routine, a life which he suspected was about to be turned upside down if he translated the scroll. When he translated the scroll, he amended with a certain sense of inevitability. No matter what he discovered, he at least owed that much to the countless souls that had yet to be born.

Once back at the village, Daniel ate his meal with a distracted air, his thoughts miles away. No, he thought wryly, sopping up the last of the delicious lamb stew with a piece of the flat bread Dereyni served with every meal, _his thoughts were millennia away._ He glanced at the jar that lay on the ground next to him. To the best of his knowledge, only one Goa’uld had ever had real contact with any of the ascended Ancients and he wondered absently how the scroll had come to be in Ra’s temple.

Grabbing a handful of figs for later, Daniel murmured his thanks to Dereyni—who didn’t appear at all put out by his preoccupied manner—and wove his way through the tents and more permanent structures that had been erected in the years since the rebellion. People greeted him and he nodded, clutching the terracotta jar to his chest as if he expected someone, or something, to yank it out of his arms. 

Once in the privacy of his tent, Daniel popped a fig into his mouth while he hastily cleared off the low table that held the various manuscripts and texts he was currently working on and lit several oil lamps, illuminating the workspace. Removing his outer robe and switching to a pair of soft slippers, he then washed his hands using the pitcher and bowl that was all the indoor plumbing he possessed. Drying his hands on a rough linen towel, Daniel sat down and carefully extracted the scroll from its home and slowly unrolled it on his work table and what he saw made his breath catch and his heart beat faster. It had been a long time since he’d translated anything written in the language of the Ancients. 

Daniel took off his glasses and cleaned them, rubbing the lenses thoughtfully. It was going to be a very long night…. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."_

_Daniel looked around in confusion. He was back in the long abandoned throne room of the temple; but he recognized the voice—and the woman. “Robert Frost won’t write that poem for five thousand years.”_

_The blonde Oma shrugged, looking cool, attractive and out-of-place wearing a dove gray pantsuit that wouldn’t be in style for a very long time, sitting sideways on the throne Ra had left behind. “Your path has certainly diverged, wouldn’t you agree?”_

_“You came here to tell me that?”_

_“It’s your dream, Daniel.” She stood up, running her hand along the polished gold of the arm before stepping off the dais. “You tell me why I’m here.”_

_“You’re not going to spout cryptic, existential claptrap? No ‘a snowflake cannot exist in the desert’ kind of thing?_

_“If you want me to.” She stopped directly in front of him, brought her hands together as if in prayer and intoned, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”_

_“You’re quoting dead Kennedys now?” he scoffed_

_“Is this your country?” Her hand moved in a graceful wave and the interior of the long deserted temple disappeared and they stood in the middle of the barren desert, sand blowing relentlessly around them._

_She didn’t move, even as the sand whipped around them; her expression never wavered and yet he could see such a great sadness in her eyes that he felt ashamed of his cavalier comment. “You know it’s not,” he said, pulling his burnoose up over his mouth and nose as the sand storm grew in intensity._

_“Then let me make it perfectly clear, Daniel.” Waitress Oma snapped her gum and set a cup of black coffee in front of him. “What have you done since you arrived here besides sit on your ass and write volume after volume of Egyptian history?”_

_He felt the swell of righteous indignation at her derogatory assessment of how he had spent his time since being marooned in the past. It wasn’t his fault that there wasn’t anything else he could do! He opened his mouth to refute her accusation, but she didn’t give him a chance._

_“You had the perfect opportunity to save your world—and countless others—and you threw it away.”_

_“I have saved my world,” he retorted sharply._

_“Order up!” the cook bellowed from the kitchen pass-through._

_Oma grimaced and adjusted her cap. “You think because you managed to change the timeline that you’ve saved your world?” Daniel frowned as she walked off and grabbed two plates stacked full of waffles, eggs and sausage, taking them over to a far table where an elderly couple sat._

_When she didn’t come back right away, Daniel stared down at the brown liquid in his coffee cup before taking a cautious sip. Conversations with Oma generally left him confused, but this one was made his brain hurt more than usual. He had saved his world, with the help of Sam, Jack and Teal’c. They had set the timeline to right, which meant that Earth would progress and grow like it should. Unless there was something she wasn’t telling him._

_“This is your dream, Daniel,” she reminded him, pouring more coffee into his mug. “There’s nothing new that I can tell you. You already have the answer.”_

_“But…I don’t understand.”_

_She rolled her eyes and gave him a long-suffering look that reminded him of a time he tried very hard not to dwell on, a time when he’d rolled his eyes on more than one occasion when attempting to explain something to a certain Air Force colonel._

_“Has living in the desert turned your brain to sand?”_

_“Order up!”_

_“Keep your shirt on!” Oma hollered to the cook before turning back to him. “Here’s your check,” she said, fishing her order pad out of her apron pocket and tearing off one of the pieces of paper, setting it face down on the Formica table. “You can pay at the register.”_

_He let out a short bark of laughter. He could pay at the register? Fumbling around for his wallet, he turned the receipt over. But instead of finding a total for the coffee, there was only one word written on the paper…Anubis._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Even with the his recent find and the Oma dream still fresh in his memory, Daniel hadn’t realized what it was at first, it had been that long and he had truly thought it was all over. So when the death gliders appeared and it rained fire from the sky and the voice boomed out of the heavens, he wasn’t prepared.

_“The great Lord Anubis is at hand. Prepare to surrender to your new lord and master!”_

Daniel felt as if someone had just walked over his grave at the sound of the deep reverberating voice. He didn’t know how it was possible; Anubis wasn’t supposed to be here—ever. Over the course of the past week, Daniel had only managed to translate the first part of the scroll and Anubis had been exiled over one hundred years earlier, supposedly banished to the far reaches of the galaxy. Yet here he was, where he shouldn’t be. However, Daniel had other things to worry about right now than how Anubis had gotten to Earth, and thank god, it seemed old habits die hard—or were easily resurrected. 

By the time the second barrage of death gliders had started, Daniel was running with determined purpose through the chaotic camp. People milled about in panic, families called and shouted for one another, children cried and the sounds of men and women alike weeping assaulted his ears. He heard the calls and cries for help, he heard pleas for forgiveness and help from Ra and other familiar names; he heard his own name called more than once as he zigged and zagged past burning ruins and terrified people.

Compelled by an impulse he didn’t completely understand, Daniel wasted precious minutes to detour to his tent. Once there, he retrieved the scroll from its home in the terracotta jar, hastily stuffing it into one of the inner pockets of his robe, before racing back out into the chaos of the attack. He ran on, through ever lessening crowds of scared inhabitants, the sounds of the attack still heavy around him.

The settlement had grown into a small town over the preceding years and it took time for him to reach the older section. There were fewer people here, less panic, and it was only then that he realized half a dozen of the village men were silently running with him. The air was suddenly quiet, the whine of the death gliders had stopped, but Daniel knew it was only a matter of time before they started again or Jaffa started ringing down.

Skidding around a corner, Daniel finally arrived at the innocuous tent, one of many such small tents in a community of small tents. To his surprise and relief, Katep was already there, prying the trap door open. Two of the other men behind him rushed to help Katep and between the four of them, the door that had been sealed shut for so long groaned as it slowly opened, once more revealing its secrets.

“Katep!” Daniel called in vain when the other man immediately scurried down the ladder into the dark vault. Soresh passed a lit torch into his hand, Daniel nodded a quick thanks and started down the ladder after Katep. He needn’t have worried, Katep had already located the oil lantern and soft light flooded the large room, rows and rows of dust-covered weapons gleamed dully in the dim light.

While the rest of the men scrambled down the ladder, Daniel grabbed the closest weapon—a staff weapon left over from Ra’s enormous armory. “We’ll be lucky if these things still work,” he muttered, pressing on the trigger and waiting as the mechanism creaked and the muzzle opened.

Katep, who was busy tossing staff weapons to the men assembled, grinned. “Do not fear, Daniel.” Katep tossed him a zat gun, which he caught after almost dropping the staff, ending up hugging both weapons to his chest. “These were built to last.”

More weapons were passed out and Daniel grabbed several more zats, stuffing them in the large pockets of his robe—alongside the scroll. He reached for the ladder, preparing to join the men who had already left when Katep’s hand closed on his arm. Daniel paused, looking back at Katep, the other man’s smile replaced with a look of sad resignation. 

“No, Daniel,” Katep said solemnly. “We will not be able to hold off the invaders, even with a hundred more men and weapons. You know what you must do.” Katep gestured toward the dark recesses of the vault.

Daniel’s dream flashed before his eyes and he felt an unexpected flare of hope with Katep’s words. Katep knew nothing of Daniel’s dream or of the scroll, yet he had already realized that any hope of beating Anubis would come through the Stargate. A long forgotten calm filled Daniel. He knew now what Oma had been trying to tell him and then he let out a short bark of laughter, no, what his subconscious had been trying to tell him. He had the scroll—and possibly the means and the way to stop Anubis—and if he was successful, then all this would never happen. 

Setting the weapon he held aside, Daniel grabbed one of the torches. “Help me.”

After the rebellion and when everyone who wanted to leave Earth had left, Daniel had truly intended to bury the Stargate so deep that it would never be found. But after the last two refugees from the future had left, he had been strangely reluctant to follow through with his original plan. So, he’d compromised—or at least that’s what he’d told himself, preferring that to the thought that maybe more of Jack O’Neill than he cared to acknowledged had rubbed off on him. 

It had taken the better part of a year to quarry and carve the cover stones and then another two months to move the Stargate and its DHD to their current location, hidden in a secret chamber within the vault—Daniel hadn’t studied Egyptian pyramids and tombs for nothing. With the cover stones securely in place the gate was effectively buried, so he had been satisfied that for all intents and purposes, the Stargate had been disabled—as he had promised.

Of course, when they’d covered the gate, Daniel had never imagined he would need to remove the cover stones, and especially not when they were under attack and every minute counted. They worked quietly and they worked quickly, the only sounds their grunts and groans as one by one, he and Katep levered the heavy stones off the gate. But above every soft thud of the cover stones onto the sand, Daniel was grimly aware that the sounds of fighting drew ever closer to their location.

Daniel heard the tell-tale wail of a Jaffa horn as the last cover stone from the DHD dropped onto the ground. And it was close, way too close. Using the hem of his robe, Daniel brushed the sand and debris that had managed to work its way through the seams in the cover stones off the DHD, the familiar glyphs coming into view. The center crystal glinted dully in the light from the torches and Daniel ran his fingers over it almost reverently. He really hoped none of the interior crystals had worked their way loose during the move.

The Jaffa horn wailed again and this time it sounded right over head. Daniel met Katep’s eyes across the DHD. Katep nodded solemnly, picking up his discarded staff weapon. “I will keep them at bay, Daniel.”

“Katep—” Daniel wasn’t sure what he wanted to tell the man who had become his friend during the years he’d been marooned in the past. Katep and his family had taken him in, no questions asked, during that horrible time when he’d lost his team; had helped him find a reason to go on living when all he wanted was to become another statistic of Ra’s ‘benevolence’. 

Katep briefly touched his arm. “Words are not necessary.” He gestured toward the gate. “Your destiny has always been in the stars.”

“Jaffa! Kree!” The shout echoed down into the vault.

“Hurry!” Katep urged, charging his staff weapon and darting out of the chamber that held the Stargate.

With a final look at his friend, Daniel turned back to the DHD and started dialing. He hesitated for a moment, straining to find the necessary glyphs, but then his hand started moving fluidly as it started coming back to him. One by one he rapidly pressed the glyphs and the inner wheel started rotating, the ground vibrating while it turned. Over the sound of the gate, he could hear the Jaffa shouting and staff weapons being discharged. He could also hear the cries of men as they were wounded and fell in the battle; he tried not to imagine Katep being one of them. 

Daniel pressed the last glyph just as the first of the Jaffa burst into the vault. The energy vortex shot into the room like a geyser, momentarily stunning the Jaffa who crowded into the chamber. 

“Sha'lokma'kor!” the lead Jaffa shouted. 

With their cries ringing in his ears and weapons blasts whizzing by him, Daniel didn’t hesitate and leaped toward the event horizon, diving in head first. His relief at making it into the Stargate faded somewhat when he felt the hot sting of a staff weapon blast along his thigh as he disappeared into the wormhole. An instance later, Daniel tumbled out of the receiving gate and rolled down the three steps of the gate dais on P3R-661, his teeth chattering and his left leg smoldering. And thank god, the gate shut down immediately behind him.

Moving as fast as he could with his injured leg dragging behind him, Daniel leaned heavily against the DHD and quickly dialed the next gate address. “Yes!” he murmured, grimly hanging on while he waited for the gate to stop spinning and for the vortex to appear. “Hurry, hurry, hurry,” he muttered, afraid that he wouldn’t get the gate redialed in time to prevent the Jaffa from following him; relief flooding through him when the final chevron engaged and the gate kawooshed into life.

If he hadn’t been injured, Daniel might have hopped a few more gates, but right now the searing pain in his thigh told him he needed to get to safety. Daniel staggered to the gate, the pain in his leg increasing with each step, but he was confident that by the time any of the Jaffa could get here, he and the address of his final destination would be long gone. 

And in spite of the pain throbbing in his leg and the grief of leaving the people he’d come to love to almost certain death, he felt a curious excitement building inside him the closer he got to the event horizon. It was a feeling at once so familiar and yet so unexpected that Daniel actually stopped and laughed out loud before stepping through the Stargate and to safety.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Samantha put on her safety goggles and handed Jadon his pair, waiting until the younger man had them tied on his head, his red hair spiking wildly around the leather ties. His earnest blue eyes peered intently back at her. “Are you sure the extra chalk won’t throw off the ratio?”

Pulling on the heavy leather gloves that Jack had fashioned for her, Samantha carefully poured the nitroglycerin into the waxed paper tube. “That’s the whole point of this experiment, to see if the extra kieselgur provides more stability without lessening the explosive impact.” 

Nitroglycerin was really more unstable than what she wanted, but she had been frustrated in her attempts to acquire the necessary ingredients to manufacture a rudimentary plastic explosive, so she’d had to settle for good old TNT. And given what she had recently begun to suspect about her future status, she really hoped that this formula worked and she could leave the manufacturing process in Jadon’s careful hands 

Forcing her thoughts from her possible condition and back to the task at hand, she nodded at her assistant, who cautiously placed the rope fuse in the cylinder and then capped the end with thick, cotton batting. Using the heavy-duty tongs, Samantha lifted the cylinder and slowly walked out of her ‘lab’ into the bright sunlight.

It was a beautiful summer day, mid-way through the cycle of seasons on Terra. The meadow surrounding their compound was abloom with wild flowers, the setting seemed almost far too idyllic a scene to be testing explosives. Terra was a beautiful world. Samantha smiled fondly in remembrance, Jack had wanted to call their new home world Omicron Ceti Three. At her raised eyebrows, he’d mumbled something about classic Trek, which she had ignored, even when he tried to backpedal and claim it was really in honor of the star Mira. She wasn’t about to buy that explanation and he eventually gave up and they agreed on Terra, as homage to Earth but also as something completely different—like their new lives. 

Of course, she had only realized later, he could afford to be generous with agreeing to name the planet Terra since she’d finally given in to his wish to name their homestead ‘Springfield’. And after two years, homestead was even a misnomer for their compound, which besides several hundred acres, included their home, her lab, a barn, stable, bunkhouse, two single-dwelling cabins, various other outbuildings and a school. Today it was all quiet though; Jack was out on a hunting excursion, the school children off on a field trip and their summer hands busy haying in the high meadows. Which suited Samantha, she preferred to keep a low profile on her experiments.

It didn’t take long for Samantha and Jadon to walk the quarter mile or so across the field to the deep trench where they detonated their experiments. Jadon kept up his usual non-stop chatter, speculating on the hoped for results for their current experiment, interspersed with random comments about Safara and their new life on Terra. Samantha just smiled and nodded; Jadon didn’t expect any comment from her and was content with his one-sided conversation.

It just seemed like yesterday, instead of six months ago, when Jadon and his wife Safara had stumbled through the Stargate; dirty, hungry, exhausted and scared to death, forced to flee their world. They weren’t among the first—or last—refugees to seek shelter on Terra over the last year. Jack hadn’t said anything to her, but she could tell he was concerned. 

There was something evil going on ‘out there’, as Jack liked to call it, and while it hadn’t overtly impacted them on Terra, she was aware that there had been a subtle shift in his demeanor. She had spent the last two years getting to know Jack O’Neill on every level possible and what she sensed in him now frightened her, more than their battle with Ra and more than leaving Earth. And his unease is what spurred her on with her experiments. They had an impressive arsenal, accumulated over the past two years through trade and the occasional off-world travel, but more tended to be better, she’d realized, when it came to defense.

Jadon jumped down into the shallow trench and Samantha carefully handed him the cylinder of nitroglycerin. Behind the lenses of the safety glasses, his eyes were gleaming with excitement. There was nothing Jadon liked better than setting off explosives; Samantha grinned, come to think of it, she kind of liked it too. 

“Ready?” he asked, looking up at her, one of her home-made matches in his hand.

Samantha nodded, not waiting to see him light the fuse, instead scurrying over to the large boulders situated about ten yards from the trench. Squatting down behind the rocks, she heard Jadon shout. “Fire in the hole!” Putting her fingers in her ears, Samantha waited; Jadon vaulting over the lowest of the rocks and crouching down beside her mere seconds before the blast rang out through the meadow.

“Yes!” Jadon shouted, jumping up. “Did you hear that? That’s been the biggest blast so far!”

Samantha took the hand he held out to her, letting him pull her to her feet. Pulling her safety goggles off, she let them hang around her neck and followed Jadon back to the trench. Or what was left of the trench, the blast had widened it by several yards, dirt, grass and broken flowers littered all around. The blast had certainly exceeded her expectations, it looked like the latest formulation of the kieselgur was just right—at least as far as explosive power. 

“Well, it certainly made a big enough hole,” she commented dryly. “We’ll have to do some more testing though, to see if it makes any difference in the stability. How much more of the kieselgur do we—”

“Samantha! Samantha! Jadon!”

Samantha looked around the wide meadow when she heard the faint sound of someone calling her name, the one voice joined by more cries of her name—and Jadon’s. At the far edge of the meadow a figure broke through the tree line, followed by a group of a dozen or so children. It was Safara and the children that attended the school she and Jack had established. 

Jadon ran to meet his wife. “Safara, what is it?”

Safara stopped, Jadon’s arm around her and she bent over, with her hands on her knees, panting, the children crowding around the adults. “Someone has come through the Stargate,” she gasped. 

“A man.” Logan, the oldest of the boys added.

“And he’s hurt!” little Kaelyn piped in. 

Samantha was puzzled. Strangers arriving through the Stargate—even injured ones—weren’t an unusual occurrence for Terra, even when there hadn’t been the current sense of unrest in the galaxy. “Did anyone tell Haldis?” she asked. If the man was injured, he’d need the services of their healer.

Logan nodded. “She is with him right now.”

“Okay….” Samantha was still confused. There was a very efficient system in place for absorbing newcomers into the local society. Sooner or later she and Jack would have been notified of the new arrival, which didn’t explain the current situation. “Well,” she finally asked, looking around at all the expectant faces. “What’s so unusual about this man?” 

The children crowded closer; Safara’s breathing had finally slowed down, her dark brown eyes solemn as she answered. “He says his name is Doctor Daniel Jackson and he wishes to see Colonel O’Neill.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daniel groaned softly and rolled over, shifting to a more comfortable position on the soft bed…which had the unforeseen action of putting stress on his wounded leg and forcibly reminded him of his injury—and the events preceding his injury. He opened his eyes and waited for them to adjust to the dim light filtering in through the small window. It was a bedroom, at least he figured it was since he was lying in a bed. There was a low chest of drawers under the window, a basin and pitcher resting on it and a curtain hung across the door opening on the opposite wall. 

He carefully rolled onto his back and stared up at the wood slat ceiling. Well, he’d evidently made it somewhere…he had vague memories of children and an older woman making ‘tsking’ noises over his leg. He’d somehow managed to identify himself and asked to see Colonel O’Neill and then…nothing. Daniel could hear movement beyond the curtain and had just decided to let his host—or hostess—know he was awake when there was a commotion in the other room and the curtain was pulled back.

“Daniel.” 

Daniel’s eyes closed on a wave of regret. The voice and face were so familiar that for a brief moment he was transported back to Earth…to the twenty-first century. But this wasn’t Earth and his friend had died an eternity ago. Opening his eyes, Daniel squinted and smiled faintly. “Jack. Good to see you again.”

Sam suddenly appeared at Jack’s side and she stepped forward briefly and pressed something into his hand. Daniel’s smile widened and he fumbled for a brief moment, slipping his glasses on and finally getting a good look at his benefactors. Sam looked good, they both looked good. Tanned and healthy, his hair grayer and hers longer than it had been two years ago. They were both dressed in a style that he classified as ‘early frontier’; leather vest and breeches, white shirts with flowing cuffs and laces. Even Sam wore pants, along with knee high leather moccasins. 

“Sam.”

Her smile was tender and she moved past Jack into the small room, crouching down on the floor by the bed. “Daniel,” she said, taking his hand and gazing earnestly into his eyes. “What on earth are you doing here?”

Daniel gripped her hand. “It’s Anubis. He’s come to Earth.”

“Whoa…back up there, Daniel.” Jack stood just behind Sam, his hand resting on her shoulder and a skeptical look on his face. “Anubis?”

Daniel nodded, his thoughts racing and his words tumbling out just as fast. “Anubis, Lord of the Underworld, son of Ra and Hathor. The only Goa’uld to ever ascend and then be exiled by the System Lords for his transgression. He shouldn’t even be in this galaxy, much less launching invasions.” He sat up then, ignoring the pull in his injured leg, still clinging to Sam’s hand. “The only thing I can think of is that the change in the time line that occurred with Ra’s precipitous departure left a void that allowed for this to occur. The one thing that time can’t deal with is a void. But I didn’t realize until I had the dream about Oma that we had the way to stop Anubis from ever returning to this galaxy and from ascending.”

“Daniel, slow down,” Jack interrupted. “You’re not making any sense.”

“No, Jack.” Daniel released Sam’s hand and grabbed Jack’s. The older man went completely still and stared at their joined hands. “Oh…sorry,” Daniel belatedly muttered, releasing his grip. “It makes perfect sense. You have a time machine.”

A slight frown creased Sam’s forehead and she slowly nodded, gracefully rising to her feet. Daniel didn’t miss the way she slipped her hand into Jack’s. “We have the gate ship, yes.”

Daniel nodded eagerly. “We go back to a point in time right before Anubis ascends, he’ll be the most vulnerable then. We’ll be able to stop his ascension and prevent the deaths of countless millions—and prevent the greatest war mankind has ever known.” 

A look that Daniel had no trouble recognizing passed between Sam and Jack. Jack raised an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders. “We’ll need Teal’c.”

Daniel grinned when Sam nudged Jack in the ribs with her elbow. “We’ll need more than that, Jack. We’ll need a plan.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The all great and powerful Anubis was not happy. Possessing virtually unlimited power and knowledge was worth nothing to him if there existed so much as even the slightest threat to his rise to power. He stood with his back to his throne room, looking out the spacious window at the flames and smoke that billowed up from the devastated village, the temple of Ra in ruins. He’d never liked it here, he could never figure out what Ra saw in this inhospitable climate or the backwards and dimwitted natives, good only for their use as slaves and hosts. 

He allowed himself a slight smile; even though he no longer bothered trying to maintain human form he couldn’t quite rid himself of the small trappings of human existence. Backwards they might be, but they had still managed to overthrow his departed but not lamented father…with help. It had taken far too long for him to track this mortal down; he suspected Oma was involved somehow, but he had no way to prove it— or anyone who would care even if he did. And now that he had finally tracked his quarry down to Earth—

“My lord.” It was his First Prime, Ka’amil.

“Speak.” He didn’t turn from the scene of chaos that reigned outside the calm and quiet of his Ha’tak.

“He has escaped, my lord.”

Anubis whirled around, his hand raised to strike down Ka’amil, who knelt before him with his head bowed, his second kneeling next to him. “How?” Anubis snarled, not bothering to contain the stray energy that escaped from the containment field hidden by his flowing robes.

“Through the Chaapa’ai, my lord.”

“I do not suppose you know where he went?”

“No, my lord.”

Letting loose with the energy bolt, Anubis watched with grim satisfaction as Ka’amil screamed in agony before disintegrating into a pile of ashes. “Gather your troops,” he instructed Ta’riq, who remained kneeling next to the ashes of his former comrade. Anubis turned his back and once more gazed out at the scene of destruction beyond his Ha’tak. “We must return to Kheb.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jack stretched out on their bed, his hands behind his head, and watched his wife unbraid and then brush her hair. Every night it was the same routine and he never got tired of it. After he did his final evening check of the compound, he came back to their bedroom and watched her get ready for bed, which involved letting her hair down. In the two years they’d been together, she hadn’t cut it except to trim the ends and it hung to the middle of her back now. Samantha sat at the low vanity that he’d made, her nimble fingers undoing the leather thong that held her braid, her fingers slipping through her hair and freeing it. 

It was oddly intimate, something that no one else ever saw, and Jack enjoyed every minute of it. Of course, he’d enjoyed every minute of the two years they’d been together. It might have been propinquity and lust that brought them together initially, but a deep abiding love had developed and Jack couldn’t imagine what his life would be like without Samantha. Well, on second thought, he did know what his life would be like, he’d lived it, alone, on his boat in Minnesota. And even stuck in the past on another planet, this was so much better. 

She had started brushing her hair, using the sliver-backed brush he’d found on a trading excursion last year. That trip had been the first indication that all was not right in the universe; there hadn’t been anything specific, just a general feeling of unease that permeated the traders at the well traveled marketplace. Since that time, he’d only heard whispered rumors and unsubstantiated tales of an unspeakable evil sweeping across the galaxy—at least until today.

The last thing he’d expected when he’d arrived home from his hunting trip with Gage and Tobias was to find the settlement all abuzz with speculation regarding the latest refugee to arrive through their Stargate. Samantha had been strangely subdued, and he still wasn’t sure how to read her current mood. She’d seemed pleased to see Daniel, but she knew as well as she did that the other man’s arrival was anything but good. 

She had finished brushing her hair—one hundred strokes—and she stood, stretching slightly, the fine white cotton nightgown she wore billowing around her. Jack could never figure out why she persisted in wearing her nightgowns to bed, as he always had her out of them within minutes, but he did appreciate the alluring sight she made in the demure white cotton garment. And maybe that’s why she did it, he reflected, while she extinguished the oil lamps. The full moon shown brightly through their bedroom windows as she slipped into bed with him and he pulled her close, her head resting on his shoulder.

“So,” he ventured cautiously, stroking her hair, “that was some surprise today.”

She snuggled closer to him and he tightened his arm around her. “I still can’t believe that he’s here.”

“That was quite a tale he told, about Anubis invading Earth, his escape through the Stargate.”

“You weren’t surprised, were you?”

Jack’s hand stilled in her hair, not at all taken aback by her insight. He shrugged, his hand once more toying absently with her hair. “I knew something was going on with the Goa’uld, but no one we encountered would ever speak of it.” He tilted his head until he could see her face, her blue eyes shining at him in the moonlight. “I was surprised to see Daniel though.”

“We have to help him.”

“I never said we didn’t,” he countered easily.

“I know…it’s just…we left all that behind us.”

He knew what she meant. They had left Earth and their lives there behind. They’d started fresh on Terra and they had built a good life here. The climate was temperate, the land had been kind to them and the people were caring and accepting of the two strangers from another planet. But…she had a valid point, their new home wasn’t threatened—but it was probably only a matter of time. “We may have left Earth behind, but it’s still part of what we are.”

It was her turn to look at him and his arm loosened from around her when she propped herself up on his chest. “Just checking,” she murmured, one slim hand moving lightly up his chest to cradle his cheek. “We need to stop this Anubis, if he’s anything like Ra….” She shivered delicately.

Jack felt his heart swell with love for her. His geeky scientist had grown from a timid mouse into a confident, self-possessed woman that he adored with all his heart and soul. He’d never doubted for one instance that she would shrink from the task Daniel had set before them. They had both seen first hand what the Goa’uld could do and if there was any way they could keep one of the biggest and baddest from terrorizing the galaxy—and Earth—he knew she would be fighting right there beside him. 

“There’s a lot we need to do, Jack,” she said, squirming ever so slightly against him.

“Uh huh,” he murmured, sliding one large hand down her back and pressing her closer.

“We haven’t been in the gate ship for over a year, ever since we moved it into storage. Who knows what’s happened to its operating systems?”

“Who knows,” he agreed, lifting his head just enough to press a kiss to her throat. 

She didn’t falter. “Not to mention all the other preparations we’ll have to make. I mean, just today Jadon and I finally established the correct ratio of kieselgur to nitroglycerin.”

“Did you now?” Jack replied, nipping lightly at her collarbone.

“I’m sure it’s going to take more than a few dozen sticks of dynamite to stop this Anubis,” she replied tartly.

“Mmmhmm,” he murmured. 

“I mean, we do have the weapons cache that you and Jadon discovered on Tadelesh. And the gate ship does possess a certain stealth capability. Plus heaven knows, we’ve only scratched the surface of the technology that ship possesses.” She sighed and he took the opportunity to slide the hand that still rested on her back lower, cupping her nicely rounded butt. She sighed and squirmed a bit more against him before adding, “That is if you can still make it work.”

Knowing from previous experience that more drastic action would be necessary to derail her current train of thought, Jack tightened his arms around her and in one easy move, he rolled. There’d be time to worry about their plan and tactics for stopping Anubis tomorrow. Tonight, he had something else in mind. Samantha looked up at him with a momentarily surprised expression that rapidly faded into one of lazy sexuality that sent the usual frisson of desire coursing through his blood. 

“Oh, I can make it work,” he drawled.

Her answering smile was languid and her arms looped around his neck. “Can you now?” she asked, her voice at once teasing and full of latent with desire.

“Oh yes,” he replied easily, gliding his hand down her thigh and slowly tugging her nightgown up. “You’d be amazed at what I can do with these hands.”

She chuckled, the low sound chasing along his spine. “I don’t know, Jack. I’m not easily impressed.”

Jack lowered his head. “You know me, sweetheart,” he murmured, his lips just brushing hers. ”I’ve never been able to resist a challenge.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Samantha poured coffee, silently directing their young housemaid, Cadee, to bring in more cream and honey. Cadee nodded absently, casting a lingering look towards Daniel before scurrying off to the kitchen. Sitting back down at the dining room table, Samantha caught Jack’s slight eye roll at the whole scene and smothered a smile. 

“Thanks, Sam.” Daniel said, taking a drink of his coffee and totally oblivious to the adoring looks from Cadee. “I haven’t had coffee this good in, well, years.”

Samantha smiled and ignored Jack’s raised eyebrow. She always reprimanded him when he called her ‘Sam’, but when Daniel called her by that diminutive, it seemed right. “Thaddeus brought the beans with him during his last visit.”

Cadee had returned with the cream and honey, setting the small tray down next to Daniel. “Thanks,” he murmured, smiling graciously at the now blushing girl, who stood uncertainly at the table.

“Cadee?” Samantha’s voice was gentle, she’d been an awkward teenager once herself and besides, she was relieved to see the girl acting so…normal. “When you’re finished helping Lareina in the kitchen, Safara could use your help in the school.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Cadee bobbed in a slight curtsey and with one final longing look at Daniel, she disappeared through the door to the kitchen.

“Quite the lady of the manor, aren’t you?”

Jack smothered a grin behind a cough and Samantha glared at him before smiling at Daniel. “Not exactly, Daniel. Lareina helps out during the summer months,” she explained, “when we hire on extra hands.” She sighed. “As for Cadee….” Jack’s hand covered hers from across the table and she flashed him a grateful smile. “How long ago was it, Jack? A year?” 

He nodded. “About that.”

“This group of men, I guess you’d call them mercenaries, arrived through the gate one day,” she explained. “They didn’t stay long, they only wanted to stock up on supplies and all they had to trade was Cadee.”

Daniel looked aghast. “That girl? They sold her to you?”

“Believe me, Daniel,” Jack added, his face grim. “We did her a favor by buying her from them.”

“They’d had their fun with her,” Samantha said, her voice hard when she remembered the condition of the bruised and beaten girl. “Once she was of no more use to them, they just wanted a place to dump her. And if they could make a profit, all the better.”

“Anyway,” Jack continued smoothly, covering the awkward silence, “Lareina took her in and has been teaching her how to cook, run a household.”

“And she helps Safara at the school in the afternoons.”

“Does this happen very often? You taking in refugees?”

Jack shrugged. “Seems the least we can do, Daniel. Having been refugees once ourselves.” 

Daniel looked pensive, staring into his coffee cup and absently stirring it with his spoon. Jack didn’t say anything more and Samantha waited, pouring more cream into the strong coffee in her cup and slowly sipping, waiting for Daniel to break the silence. 

After discovering Daniel with Haldis two days ago, they’d brought him to their home, and this was the first day he’d been well enough to join them for any of their meals. They hadn’t questioned him or made any demands of him, they just gave him time to think and to heal. Jack had stayed close to home, working on the countless projects requiring his time and attention around the homestead while she had continued with her usual routine, both of them trying to act like nothing unusual had occurred, waiting for the time when Daniel would be ready to talk.

“You have a good life here,” Daniel eventually said. “Primitive, but good.” 

“It has its moments.” Jack’s eyes met hers across the table and she nodded at the question she saw there. “As for primitive…let’s just say that appearances can be deceiving, Daniel.” 

Daniel’s brows drew together briefly in what Samantha figured was confusion and she smiled at his reaction. It suited them to live simply—just as it suited them to let visitors assume that because of their low-level of technology that they were simple. He smiled briefly, but then that pensive look returned to his face. 

“I don’t know why I came here.” Daniel slumped down in his chair, his hands curled around his coffee mug. “I can’t ask you to risk your lives to help me bring down Anubis.”

“Too late, Daniel. You already have.”

“But Jack—“

“Daniel, if what you say is true, that this Anubis character is acting outside of the established timeline, then we have no choice.”

“I don’t think you understand, Jack.”

“Oh, believe me, I understand, Daniel.” Jack leaned back in his chair, taking a swallow of his coffee. He looked relaxed, but Samantha knew otherwise. He was alert and wary in a way that she hadn’t seen in many months, slowly transforming into military mode and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that. “We may look like a backwater planet to you, but we’ve known for some time that something isn’t right, out there.” He made a swooping gesture toward the ceiling with one of his hands. “There’s more unrest, more people planet hopping, only stopping here to replenish their supplies before moving on and none of them willing to go into detail.”

Jack leaned forward, his eyes and voice intent. “Whatever is happening out there is going to affect all of us sooner or later. And if you think you have a way to stop this Anubis, then I don’t see that we have any other choice.”

“Tell him about the Jaffa,” Samantha prompted.

“Jaffa?” Daniel sat up straighter in his chair, almost dumping his coffee over. “There have been Jaffa here?”

Samantha nodded. “Less than a month ago.”

“Where? How?”

“They came by ship.” Jack shrugged. “Gage and I had just moved the cattle to their summer pasture, up in the hills, when we saw it swoop down out of the sky and come down in the next valley. I don’t know why they landed, it looked like there was heavy smoke or exhaust leaking from it. If I had to guess, I’d say they had engine trouble or something. Anyway, by the time we’d hiked up the ridge to get a better look, they were just getting ready to leave.”

“Did you get a close look at any of them? Did you see whose mark they wore?”

Jack nodded. “I had my monocular.” He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a small note pad and a ball point pen. Sam smiled when Daniel looked surprised at seeing the pen. Jack must’ve caught the look too because he grinned. “Hasn’t run out of ink yet. Anyway,” he drew a symbol on the pad, shoving it across the table towards Daniel. “It looked like this.”

Daniel merely glanced at the pad, but Samantha knew he had recognized the symbol.  
“It’s Anubis’ insignia, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, a stylized jackal,” he muttered, taking his glasses off with an abstracted air and cleaning them with his cloth napkin. “I don’t know, I guess I was hoping that I was wrong.” Daniel slipped his glasses back on. “He should be in exile, he shouldn’t have ships or Jaffa or be anywhere near this part of the galaxy.”

“Yet he is.”

“You said we could stop him, Daniel,” Samantha reminded him.

“We could….” His blue eyes burned with earnest fire. “There’s no guarantee my plan will actually work, time travel being what it is and all, but it’s the only chance we have.”

“So, let’s hear it,” Jack said.

Daniel started talking and they both listened intently, Samantha jotting notes on Jack’s pad, only stopping to pour them all more coffee. She suspected it was going to be a long morning. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jack found her by the lake, sitting on the bench he’d built the first summer they’d arrived on Terra. He sat down beside her, looking out across the calm expanse of water, just beginning to reflect the fiery colors of the setting sun. “We don’t have to do this,” he murmured.

She didn’t look at him, but he could see the slight curve of her lips. “Didn’t we already have this discussion?” 

“I’m just saying,” he offered. He still had his share of doubts regarding their whole ‘plan’, but he’d gone into battle with even more nebulous intel and returned unscathed. However, it was one thing for him to risk his life—and another to risk hers.

“When do we leave to find Teal’c?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Daniel and I leave tomorrow.”

“Jack….”

“Samantha, haven’t we already had this discussion? You and Jadon will begin the initial preparation of the gate ship and organize the supplies we’ll need while Daniel and I go get Teal’c and whichever other Jaffa want to join us.”

She sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder and he automatically wrapped his arm around her. “I know…I just…” She lifted her head and pulled back far enough so he could see her face. “This will be the first time we’ve been separated.”

Jack cradled her cheek with one large hand. “We’ll be back before you know it.”

“You better damn well be, mister.”

“That’s Colonel to you, Doctor,” he teased, his hand sliding to her nape where he tugged on her long braid.

“Yes sir, Colonel, sir,” she replied smartly, her eyes twinkling in the twilight; pressing her soft body even closer to him, her arms twining around his neck. Jack’s arms closed around her, his mouth already descending to hers. “Whatever you say, sir.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Samantha watched the Stargate swallow her husband and Daniel, fighting down the fear that wrapped around her heart—fear not only for herself but also for the small life that she suspected was growing inside her. _They’ll be okay, she told herself, they’re both armed for bear and forewarned is forearmed. And besides…Teal’c is a friend…who used to be first prime to a Goa’uld._ She really hoped nothing had happened over the past two years to change the former Jaffa’s loyalties. 

The small group that had gathered at the gate to see the two men off slowly dispersed and Samantha finally turned away from the gate. “Come on, Jadon,” she said, climbing up into the buckboard. “We have work to do.”

Jadon jumped up onto the bench seat beside her and she took the reins in hand. “Get on up there, Selma, Patty,” she called to the two mares hitched to the wagon, twitching the reins over their rumps. Patty snorted and Selma whickered, the two horses obediently started walking, following the path toward the village. 

To say that Jadon was excited at the prospect of seeing the gate ship would be an understatement. He had been practically walking on air ever since she and Jack had taken him and Safara into their confidence—Jadon, because she needed his help, and Safara because Samantha refused to force the young man into a position where he’d need to keep secrets from his wife. Safara was level-headed and had taken the revelations in stride, in fact she had been so un-surprised that Samantha figured the young woman had seen more in her short life than they all realized.

As usual, Jadon kept up a non-stop stream of chatter, peppered with innumerable questions that he usually didn’t even wait for her to answer, his thoughts racing on faster than his mouth could keep up. Samantha only half-listened, turning the horses and wagon off the main road once they were through the village, heading them back towards home. She still wasn’t sure how much work she’d get accomplished at the gate ship without Jack, but he had been adamant that she not go with them to find Teal’c. So yes, she could check all the systems but she needed him to actually be there to turn them on after she’d checked them out. 

But, there were plenty of other things to get ready, she decided, once they’d done what they could at the gate ship. Among other things, she still needed to come up with a way to safely transport all their explosives. 

“How much farther?” Jadon asked, jumping out of the wagon and opening the one gate, in the one fence, that enclosed their compound. After closing the gate, Jadon perched on the buckboard step while they made the short trip to the barn, Patty and Selma showing more life than they had the whole way, now that they were almost home. Samantha pulled up to the barn, handing the reins over to one of the young men working for them. Jadon looked expectantly at her. 

“We walk from here,” was all she said. Reaching behind her into the bed of the wagon, she handed Jadon one of two backpacks she’d placed there earlier. Shouldering the second one on, she lightly jumped down from the buckboard and smiled. “Follow me.”

Samantha led the way, skirting around the outbuildings and following the well-worn path to the lake. She didn’t stop there though, instead following a fainter trail that led along the southern shore toward the foothills. The undergrowth was thick here, the forest dense and the going rougher than she remembered. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever been down this way,” Jadon commented, ducking to avoid a low-hanging branch.

“That’s one of the reasons we chose this spot,” Samantha replied. Stopping, she fished her compass out of her vest pocket and took a heading. Maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea to hide the gate ship so deep in the forest, but at the time, it had seemed the wisest thing to do. Of course, at the time she had never imagined they’d be making plans to use it again. When the compass needle stabilized, Samantha studied the forest and finally located the faint markings Jack had left on a series of trees that indicated the path. 

“This way,” she said, leading them deeper into the forest. It was so quiet and still, the overhead canopy blocking out so much of the sunlight, it seemed like perpetual dusk this deep in the forest. She was just about to check her compass again when they suddenly broke through into a clearing that was bordered on two sides by the rocky beginnings of the foothills, and there it was, gleaming dully in the dim light, overgrown with vines and sprinkled with pine needles and dead leaves.

The look on Jadon’s face was priceless as he approached the spacecraft, and he reached out almost tentatively, running his hand almost reverently along the starboard bulkhead. “This is amazing,” he murmured, his voice filled with awe.

Samantha slowly walked around the ship, checking for any overt signs of damage or tampering and couldn’t find anything to suggest that the ship had been disturbed in the months since she and Jack had hidden it. Stopping at the rear hatch, she started tugging and pulling off the vines that had grown over it, all but hiding the access panel. “Here,” she called to Jadon, who had disappeared around the front of the ship, “help me get these vines off.”

Jadon appeared at her side and between the two of them, they quickly stripped the vines and foliage off the ship. Once the rear hatch was free, Samantha easily opened the access panel and when she pressed the buttons in a sequence that only she and Jack knew, the hatch effortlessly glided open. Samantha shrugged her backpack off and knelt down, opening it and pulling out the small lantern and bottle of oil, quickly filling the well.

“This is amazing,” Jadon murmured again.

Samantha looked up and smiled. Jadon had already taken a few tentative steps into the jumper. 

“Just incredible,” he said, reaching out and running his fingers along one of the overhead panels. Almost immediately Samantha felt the low vibrations and then the ship burst into life, the interior suddenly flooded with soft light. Jadon jumped back and almost fell in his haste to leave the ship. He stood beside her, his eyes wild. “I didn’t do anything, I swear!”

Samantha slowly stood, her mind racing. “It’s all right,” she absently reassured the trembling man, before cautiously entering the ship herself. The interior light was still on, the systems that had sprung to life with Jadon’s touch humming quietly with what almost seemed like an air of anticipation. She turned and looked at Jadon. Could it be possible, she wondered. Did Jadon have the same special gene as Jack? 

“It’s all right, Jadon,” she repeated, holding out her hand to him. “Come back in.”

Jadon did as she asked, his hand gripping hers tightly and his expression wary. “Why did it do that?” he asked.

“I’m not sure,” she murmured, deep in thought. “Sit here,” she finally said, indicating the pilot’s seat.

Jadon still looked leery, but did as she asked, gingerly taking a seat in the command chair, looking as if he expected it to bite him at any minute. 

“Put your hands on the controls.” He looked blankly at her, so she demonstrated.

“Good,” she said, when Jadon placed his hands where hers had been. He sat rigidly, his entire body radiating tension. “Just relax,” she instructed, keeping her voice soothing. “Close your eyes and imagine the night sky over Terra. Try to visualize where we are in relation to the stars.”

He did as she asked, closing his eyes. And after a moment, she saw him relax and a small smile curved his lips. “I can see us, Terra and all the stars.” 

Samantha gasped and his eyes flew open and both of them looked up in wonder. Dancing in front of them was a celestial map, rich in color and detail, shimmering like a mirage. Only this was no mirage, it was a detailed map of their solar system. 

“Did I do that?” Jadon whispered, his eyes wide.

“Yes, you did,” she murmured. “You did.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Teal’c rhythmically moved his knife over the whetstone, sharpening and re-honing the blade. The sun was warm, the sounds of everyday life surrounded him, people talking, dogs barking and children laughing. In the two years since he’d left Chulak—and Earth—their numbers had grown, displaced and dispossessed Jaffa and humans alike had all found refuge on Cal Mah. Their small community was now filled with individuals and families starting over. It was a far cry from the disciplined and dictatorial life most of them had led in service to their Goa’uld masters, but in spite of the hardships and challenges they faced, none of them would give up the freedom they now enjoyed. 

“They’re back!” Dajuan’s excited voice rang through the compound and when he paused and looked up, he saw the boy racing towards him. “Teal’c!” The young boy skidded to a halt next to him, his dark eyes alight with excitement. “Ro’hak and the others have returned!”

“I believe the entire valley must know of their return,” he teased the lad. Dajuan’s smile only broadened. Teal’c carefully placed his knife back in its sheath before standing, ruffling the boy’s brown hair. “Go ask your mother to prepare some refreshment.” Dajuan nodded and scurried off. 

Teal’c joined the small group already gathered in the village square, awaiting the arrival of the four men returning from a routine trading excursion. His eyes narrowed, his warrior sense rearing to life; his usual, calm expression hiding his sudden unease. The men did not appear injured, nor were they running for their lives, but he could clearly tell that all had not gone well. There was a weariness and resignation resting heavily on the four men, a look he had not seen since he had left the service of Apophis. 

As they drew close, their grim expressions faded and they smiled, laughing and greeting all assembled, emptying their pockets of sweets into the hands of the waiting children. “It is good to have you back,” Teal’c clapped Ro’hak on the shoulder, “healthy and whole.”

Ro’hak smiled wearily. “It was a productive journey.” And then his smile turned grim and he spoke softly. “There is much to talk of, Teal’c.”

Teal’c nodded slowly and followed the group into the long hall, waiting as more people gathered to welcome the returning men. Jahzara and several of the other women were already there, setting out a meal and refreshment for the men. He waited patiently as more greetings were exchanged, bags unloaded and goods distributed. If the danger was immediate, Ro’hak would have told him. 

They had a good life here on Cal Mah, but he was not so naïve as to believe that all their troubles had been left behind on Earth. Their numbers had swelled to almost triple that of the contingent that had left Earth that day, deserters and survivors of the Goa’uld alike, seeking refuge on Cal Mah. Families had arrived and families had been formed, they were a community where all who stood against the Goa’uld were welcome. 

“There is more, back at the Chaapa’ai,” Ro’hak said after the final pouch was emptied; children and adults already disappearing to store away the treasures.

“Simeon and Jabari have already left with the wagon.” Jahzara, Dajuan’s mother and the unspoken leader amongst the women on Cal Mah, poured a flagon of ale and sat it in front of Ro’hak. “The trading went well?” she asked.

“If you’re asking if we found the dried karesh berries and other items you requested, then yes, the trading went well.”

Jahzara smiled. “I had no doubt you would succeed, Ro’hak,” she teased. “You yourself are as eager as the children for the sweet biscuits made with the berries.” Ro’hak grinned and didn’t look at all repentant. And then on a more somber note, Jahzara added. “We will all be glad of them, come the middle of winter.” She made her way around the table, pouring ale, a ready smile and quick comment on her lips for all gathered. 

Teal’c sat back and waited while the men relaxed and ate, biding his time until one by one the others drifted away and only he and Ro’hak were left at the long table. Jahzara returned and set a full pitcher of ale in front of them, her look shrewd. “I can see there is still much you wish to discuss.” She gathered up the remainder of the dirty plates and bowls. “I’ll be doing the washing if you require anything else.”

Ro’hak nodded absently and Teal’c inclined his head, waiting until she disappeared through the back doorway before speaking. “What has you so disturbed, my brother?”

“There is a great evil at work in the universe, Teal’c.” Ro’hak scrubbed his hand over his face, his expression grim. “We first went to Pallas, as is our usual, and found the city in ruins. I have not seen such devastation since my days of service with Ra.” He shook his head. “There was little we could do there, we found no one alive. We went to Belden next and found good trading, but there was an air of distrust amongst the citizens and travelers present. I believe if we had not been recognized as friends, our lives would have been in danger.”

“For what reason?”

“All anyone would say was that one of the great System Lords had risen from the dead and was laying waste to all known worlds.” Ro’hak continued, his voice low and intense. “They did not seem surprised to hear of the devastation at Pallas. They even spoke of burying their Chaapa’ai, even though the attacks are reported to come from the sky. After hearing this, we decided to risk travel to Dejeren.”

“One of Ra’s worlds,” Teal’c murmured.

Ro’hak nodded. “Varun had been in service there before Ra brought him to his temple in Egypt and would still have allies there. We made the journey under cover of darkness, but we need not have worried. Dejeren had been destroyed in a great battle, as far as the eye could see there was nothing but scorched sand and burned earth. Ra’s great temple lay in ruins, the only thing standing for miles was the Chaapa’ai.”

“Who would have such power to lay waste to Ra’s temple?” 

“Anubis.” Ro’hak spat the word out.

“How can that be?” Teal’c felt his unease increased a hundred fold. “Anubis was exiled by Ra and the other System Lords hundreds of years ago.”

Ro’hak shrugged, clearly troubled. “I do not know, but that is what the few survivors we found amongst the Jaffa told us. They said Anubis is searching for a traveler from the future, a man who possesses the power to kill the gods and lay waste to the galaxy.”

“What of Ra?”

“They said he was not on Dejeren at the time of the attack, nor has he been there for many cycles.” Ro’hak looked around furtively, as if expecting to see Ra or Anubis suddenly appear, before he leaned closer and whispered, “Teal’c…this traveler from the future…it can only mean one thing.”

It seemed unimaginable, but then two years ago he would not have believed that time travel was possible. “Post a sentry at the Chaapa’ai.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jack was content to let Daniel take the lead on this little jaunt, though he kept a firm grip on his staff weapon. It wasn’t his weapon of choice, but he’d become adept with using it and besides, he’d rather save the P-90. Not surprisingly, ammunition for it was a relatively scarce commodity, and even though he and Samantha had perfected a means for making ordnance, it was a labor intensive process. And while the shells weren’t perfect, they had proved an adequate supplement to their limited supply.

When the Stargate spit them out on the planet where Teal’c and Ra’s remaining Jaffa had settled, Jack wasn’t sure what he expected to see. It was much like he remembered from the one survey trip he’d made with the Jaffa. The Stargate was situated in a narrow valley—which looked remarkably calm and quiet. There was one well-worn path leading from the gate. “After you,” he said to Daniel.

They had only walked a few hundred yards down the path through the tall grass when a figured suddenly materialized from behind a small copse of scraggly looking trees. Jack swung his staff weapon up and Daniel fumbled through his robes before he pulled out a zat.

A tall, lanky teen-age boy stood in front of them, his long, dark hair only partially obscuring the tattoo on his forehead, his staff weapon resting easily at his side. He looked them over carefully before he spoke. “Daniel Jackson?”

“Ah…that would be me,” Daniel said, taking a few steps forward.

The boy inclined his head in a short bow and said, “You are to come with me. This way,” he said, starting down the path. 

Daniel looked at him and Jack just raised his eyebrows, shrugging. “Looks like they were expecting us—or at least expecting you.”

“I don’t see how.”

“Ask Cisco there.”

“Ah, excuse me,” Daniel said, hurrying to catch up with their guide, who just kept walking, his long legs eating up the distance. “Who are you?”

“Balthazar.” The boy didn’t slow down at all, the path had widened and they were now walking through a substantial grove of trees.

“And this planet is?”

“Cal Mah.”

“Sanctuary….” Jack heard Daniel murmur as he dropped back, no longer trying to keep up with Balthazar. “Well, this has to be the right planet.”

“I guess we’ll know—” 

They were suddenly surrounded by half-a-dozen warriors, all uniformly tall and muscular. Balthazar jerked his head towards them. “He says he is Daniel Jackson.”

Daniel stepped forward, staring down the biggest of the men. “I am Daniel Jackson—” The group of men suddenly parted and a familiar figure strode towards them.

“Teal’c!” Jack greeted the former Jaffa. 

“O’Neill.” He stopped in front of them, a smile lighting his face. “Daniel Jackson,” he nodded, acknowledging the other man.

“Teal’c,” Daniel replied evenly.

“You don’t seem surprised to see us,” Jack commented dryly.

“We have been expecting you.” 

“So we gathered,” Jack said, glancing at Balthazar and their ‘welcoming’ committee.

“One cannot be too careful during these times,” was all Teal’c said. He looked around then. “Where is Samantha Carter?”

“Back on Terra,” Jack answered, not elaborating. “So, you were expecting us?”

“Indeed.” Teal’c started walking rapidly down the path. 

“So, you’ve heard about Anubis?” Daniel asked, falling into step with Teal’c, the rest of the men following behind them.

Teal’c nodded. “We have much to talk about, Daniel Jackson.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Kheb does not exist.” Teal’c said it with such finality, that Jack was inclined to believe him.

“It does exist!” Daniel protested. “We’ve been there!”

Jack raised an eyebrow, in perfect timing with Teal’c.

“Okay, I’ve been there; and the other Jack O’Neill, Teal’c and Samantha Carter have been there.”

“Daniel speaks the truth.” 

All three men stopped and looked up. One of the women who had served their evening meal approached, drying her hands on her apron. Jack had noticed her earlier, as she seemed to be the one in charge, directing the controlled chaos of the earlier communal meal with practiced ease. She was a commanding presence, tall and statuesque, her long curly black hair barely held in check by the colorful kerchief she wore, which somehow didn’t clash with the other vibrant colors making up her full skirt and peasant-style blouse. If they would have been on Earth, Jack would have taken her for a gypsy. As it was, he knew her to be some type of female Jaffa, the jackal tattoo on her forehead declaring her allegiance to Anubis.

“Woman—” Teal’c rumbled.

“Do not think you have any special powers over me, Teal’c,” the woman said tartly. “I will speak my mind as I always have.”

“I’m sorry,” Jack interrupted, “I don’t believe I got your name?”

“Jahzara,” she replied, bestowing a brilliant smile on him. “Formerly in service to Anput.”

“Ah…” Jack looked at Daniel.

“Anput, the wife of Anubis and supposed mother of Kebechet.”

Jahzara snorted. “There is no supposed about that, I knew the hassac well.” 

“What would you know of Kheb?” Teal’c questioned, his voice still skeptical.

“I know it as Khebet,” she said firmly. “And from what I have heard this evening, it is the same place as this Kheb of which Daniel Jackson speaks. My former mistress was hungry for all things that dealt with the after-life, so determined was she to ensure her immortality.”

“Ah, I thought Anubis was exiled?” Jack asked, his head starting to spin. Egyptian mythology had not been his strong suit—ever.

“He was, but Anput was not, she somehow escaped the wrath of the System Lords, though her stature in their hierarchy was greatly diminished. After her husband’s exile, she spent all her time and resources searching for the Alteran that helped her husband to leave this existence and move to the next.”

Daniel’s face turned ashen and he abruptly stood, the chair he sat on tumbling to the floor. “She was looking for Oma?” 

“I do not know the name, but it is said that there is help to be found at Khebet, that the worthy may find what they seek there.” Jahzara laughed. “Needless to say, Anput never found it.”

“Where is Anput now?” Jack asked, more out of curiosity than anything else.

“I do not know, nor do I care. Two cycles ago she left all her household staff at her palace in Cynopolis, taking only a small contingent of her most trusted Jaffa with her. I suspected she was making yet another trip to Khebet.” Jahzara shrugged. “When she did not return, there were those of us who took the opportunity to seek a life free from the tyranny of the Goa’uld.” 

She looked at Teal’c and smiled, slipping her hand into one of his. “We had already heard whispers of Cal Mah and eventually found our way here.”

Jack raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment on the interaction between the two, the warm look in Teal’c’s eyes told him everything he needed to know. Right now though, he was more worried about Daniel and this mysterious Oma. Daniel was pacing now, that intense, distracted look on his face that was becoming very familiar to Jack. “Daniel?”

“We need to go to Kheb.”

“I thought that was our plan?”

“It is.” Daniel stopped his pacing, taking his glasses off and pinching the bridge of his nose. “I was ascended once, you know,” he commented, his voice matter-of-fact. “I thought I could make a difference. I willingly went with Oma and lived in a higher plane of existence where I stood by helplessly and watched while my friends and countless others suffered, prohibited by the rules governing the ascended to intercede.” 

He slipped his glasses back on. “I didn’t last all that long as an ascended being. After my return, we finally managed to stop Anubis, but not before he had killed countless millions. And now it’s starting all over again when it shouldn’t be happening at all.”

“Again, I thought that was our plan? To prevent this from happening?”

“Jack, you don’t seem to appreciate the significance of what we’re planning.”

“You are worried that any attempt to change the timeline again will result in an even worse scenario?” Teal’c asked.

“If Sam were here, she could explain it better. But yeah, that’s basically it. There’s nothing to say we won’t set into a motion a whole series of events that might destroy everything and everyone we’re trying to save.”

“Which reality is actually real?” Teal’c murmured. 

Jack could feel the beginnings of a tremendous headache—had Teal’c been this enigmatic the last time? And Daniel, he had that distant look in his eyes again that always left Jack feeling like he was being measured to Daniel’s Jack O’Neill and coming up short. 

“It didn’t happen last time, did it?” Jack felt obliged to point out, not bothering to hide the annoyance in his voice. “We’re still here, in this ‘reality’.” 

“Jack, Anubis should still be in exile, not currently terrorizing the universe—and it’s because of me.”

“Now see Daniel, that’s just plain stupid,” Jack scoffed. Heaven knows, they might have been responsible for a lot of things, but he didn’t see how they could be responsible for the actions of this Anubis character. 

“On the contrary, O’Neill,” Teal’c intoned gravely. “Daniel Jackson is correct, but not for the reason he believes. Anubis has not risked returning from exile because of changes in the time line that were set in motion by our actions on Earth two years ago.” Teal’c had all their attention now. “Anubis seeks the traveler from the future who has the power to destroy him.”

“Daniel?” Jack winced, his headache turning into the stabbing pain variety with Teal’c’s pronouncement.

“Me?”

“Indeed.” 

Even through the throbbing in his head, Jack felt curiously offended. “Are you sure he means Daniel? Because I’m the one who can make the time machine work.”

Daniel gave him a look. “Jack, I don’t think it matters which one of us he’s looking for, the mere fact that he is looking for a,” Daniel made quotation marks with his fingers, “’traveler from the future’ is a serious breach of the time-space continuum.”

Teal’c stood. “Then we must leave at once.”

“This time-space continuum thingy is a cosmic pain in the ass,” Jack muttered, retrieving his staff weapon and following Teal’c out of the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Samantha closed the overhead panel and moved to the next one. “Jadon, see if you can activate the navigation grid.”

“You got it!” He whirled around in the command chair, resting his hands on the controls. 

Samantha knew if she could see his face, he’d be smiling. She smiled herself at the enthusiasm in his voice, he had to be getting tired, she certainly was—they’d been working on the ship’s systems all day—but he still kept on doing as she asked. Pulling down the panel, she watched intently, her stylus racing as she followed the display that slowly lit up. So far she could tell that Jadon had a strong ability for activating the Ancient devices, not as strong as Jack’s, but strong enough that she’d been able to perform a rudimentary check of most of the ship’s systems. And so far, so good; it seemed sitting in the forest for the better part of a year hadn’t harmed it. 

“Okay,” she called to him, finally satisfied, “you can stop now.” Almost immediately the display disappeared and she replaced all the panels. 

“How’d I do?” Jadon had left his seat in the front of the ship and stood in the archway that separated the aft section from the fore section. 

“You did great,” she reassured him. “I was able to check most all the systems.” She chuckled, “Jack will appreciate it too, I’m sure.”

“Samantha,” he said, sitting down on one of the low benches that ran along the bulkhead. “I still don’t quite understand how I can do this.” 

“I’m not the expert on it, Jadon. I know it has something to do with these ‘Ancients’, who originally built this ship and the time machine. They had a gene…” Jadon just looked blankly at her and she started over. “You know how the universe is made up of atoms, electrons, protons and neutrons?” He nodded, for which she was relieved, since her watered-down explanation was the basis of all she had taught him since he’d started helping her in the lab. 

“The same is true for our bodies, the millions of individual cells that make up our tissues are made out of these same atoms, protons and electrons. And the blueprint for what each cell does is determined by its DNA—the genes. And these Ancients had special genes that could activate this technology.”

“But I’m not an Ancient,” he protested.

“Where did you red hair come from?” she asked with a smile.

“My mother’s brother had red hair…” he said slowly. By the look of concentration on his face, Samantha could tell he was putting two and two together. His face suddenly lit with a huge smile. “I get it! One of my ancestors must’ve been one of these Ancients and this special ability has been passed down through our family, just like my uncle’s red hair!” 

“Basically.”

“Cool!” 

Samantha’s smile turned into a grin and she shook her head at his enthusiasm—and his choice of adjective, he’d obviously been hanging around Jack too much. Glancing out the open rear hatch, she realized somewhat belatedly that it was later than she expected, the shadow of the hills inexorably engulfing their sheltered valley. She’d told Lareina they’d be back for dinner. And she’d told Jack that she expected him and Daniel, along with Teal’c if he agreed, to be back for dinner as well. It would be dark and long past dinner time by the time they got back to the house unless….

“Jadon?” she said, standing framed in the open hatchway. Jadon looked at curiously. “How about we try and see if you can make one more system work?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daniel walked slowly behind the small parade that had formed to escort Teal’c to the Stargate, trying not to favor his injured leg. More than once he intercepted a curious look directed his or Jack’s way, curious no doubt as why two strangers could persuade their leader to go with them and fight what must surely be a losing battle. But then, these were men—and women—who had lived their lives at the whim of the Goa’uld. Given that, perhaps their request hadn’t seemed so outrageous after all. Or maybe it was something far simpler than that. 

“Are you really from the future?” One of the older boys that Daniel recognized from the village had slowed down and now walked beside him. He looked to be about the age of Katep’s oldest boy and Daniel felt a fresh pang of grief, which he ruthlessly suppressed.

“Yes, we really are.”

“What’s it like?”

Daniel glanced around the sun-lit valley, the Stargate was just visible in the distance, the sun glinting brightly off the uppermost chevrons. The sounds of nature mingled with the sounds of people; the higher, shrill voices of the children highlighting the lower tones of the men. Bees and other insects buzzed and hummed and darted among the flowers that lined the path; the late afternoon sun was warm as it beat down on them, small dust clouds puffing up with their footsteps. 

It was an intriguing paradox, for even though they traveled on foot and wore a hodge-podge of clothing styles, Daniel knew there was technology currently in their possession that rivaled anything that had been developed on twenty-first century Earth. Through the span of centuries and in light of all that had happened to him, Daniel had become a firm believer in the old saying that the more things change, the more they remain the same.

“Pretty much the same as it is now, I guess.”

The look of disappointment mingled with disbelief on the boy’s face was comical. “Like this?”

Daniel shrugged. “Yeah, pretty much.” The boy looked so crestfallen that Daniel wished he could have given him a different answer; that the future was so bright you had to wear shades. 

“Dajuan! Leave that poor man alone!” Jahzara had paused along the path, apparently waiting for them. 

“Your mother?” Daniel whispered.

“Yeah,” the boy mumbled, scuffing a rock with his sandaled foot.

“Get along and help Ro’hak with the wagon,” she told Dajuan when they drew up alongside her.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied obediently and trotted up ahead, catching up with Ro’hak and the other men.

Jahzara fell into step beside him then and Daniel waited for the inevitable questioning. It didn’t take her long to speak. “So tell me, Doctor Daniel Jackson, why should I let you take Teal’c away from us?”

“I thought people here made their own decisions?”

She snorted. “Don’t play dumb with me. You know perfectly well my reasons for asking.” 

Daniel didn’t take offense at her tone, he waited and let her talk, his eyes focused ahead of him on Teal’c’s broad back as the warrior led the way down the path. 

“He’s our leader,” she put extra emphasis on the word ‘leader’. “He is the only one who has the vision—and the respect of all the warriors—to ensure the success of such a diverse community.” She smiled then. “And if that isn’t enough, then the fact that he shares my bed entitles me to an answer.”

Daniel’s lips curved in a slight smile. He had an answer for her, but he wasn’t sure she would understand. “He’s part of our team.” For him, it was as simple as that; he couldn’t imagine setting out to destroy Anubis without Sam, Jack or Teal’c by his side. 

“I know the story, Daniel,” she said dryly. “And I know for a fact that the two of you didn’t meet until right before he settled here.”

Her skepticism wasn’t unexpected; he wasn’t even sure he understood the bond he felt for three strangers who weren’t strangers at all. If anyone knew that the current individuals he considered ‘his team’ weren’t the originals, it was him—he’d seen his friends die after all. But the connection was still there, a bond that he wasn’t sure the other three felt, but was there none-the-less. No matter the time or place or reality, their lives were irrevocably—and sometimes inextricably—interwoven. 

“Have you ever felt an immediate connection with someone you’ve just met? Like you’ve found a part of yourself that you didn’t even know was missing?” He stopped in the middle of the path and held her gaze, watching as the first light of understanding glimmered in her dark eyes. “It doesn’t matter that the four of us only met two years ago, this has always been our destiny.”

Whether she believed him or not, Daniel wasn’t sure, but apparently whatever she saw in his face as the two of them stood there staring at each other must’ve satisfied her. “Hmmph,” she huffed softly, tossing her head and sending her long hair flying over one shoulder—and then poking him in the chest. “Just be sure you return him to me in one piece, Daniel Jackson.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied with a sudden grin. They might be embarking on a seemingly impossible mission, but for the first time in two years, Daniel felt truly alive. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jack skidded to a stop on the dais after nimbly side-stepping the small cart that had been sent through the gate ahead of them, brimming with Teal’c’s Jaffa gear. It was early evening on Terra, he hadn’t been sure they’d make it back in time…and he frowned, scanning the very empty field where the Stargate sat. Okay, so he hadn’t been expecting cheerleaders and a marching band, but he had expected Samantha to be there—with the wagon.

The gate shut down behind him and then he was flanked by Daniel and Teal’c. “I thought…” Daniel’s voice trailed off as he too looked around the empty meadow.

“Yeah, well…” Jack grumbled, “so did I.” He was hungry and just a little bit cranky and all he wanted right now was to relax in his comfy chair with a pint of stout brew from the barrels in the cellar. “All right campers, it looks like we’re walking. Better just grab the weapons,” he instructed, gesturing to the cart. “We can come back later for the rest.”

Daniel sighed heavily—Jack had seen him start to favor his injured leg during the walk back to the gate on Cal Mah, but there wasn’t a lot he could do about helping him right now. Teal’c merely nodded—his favored mode of communication Jack suspected—and began sorting through the various items in the cart. 

“I’m sorry, Daniel,” Jack said, hefting one of the lumpy burlap-like bags Teal’c handed him. “I really thought Samantha would be here.”

Daniel grimaced slightly, taking the smaller bag Teal’c handed him. “I guess I’m more out of shape than I thought,” was all he said.

“O’Neill.” Teal’c stood at the base of the steps, his head cocked in an attentive attitude that Jack immediately recognized, his hand automatically going for the zat at his waist. 

“Or maybe we won’t have to walk,” Daniel murmured, looking out to the meadow.

Jack felt the vibration before his sensitive ears heard it and then his mouth all but dropped open when the gate ship materialized in the meadow in front of them, less than ten yards away. His wife grinned at him through the front windows and Jadon waved before setting the ship down in the tall grass. Jack couldn’t help the small smirk when the ship landed with a thud, Samantha grabbing onto the back of Jadon’s chair for support.

“It appears we will not have to walk after all, O’Neill,” Teal’c commented dryly.

“Yeah, so it appears,” Jack muttered. His eyes narrowed speculatively as they approached the ship and waited for the rear hatch to open. Samantha couldn’t fly the gate ship, she didn’t have the gene, which could only mean—

“Jack!” his wife exclaimed, rushing out of the ship and hurling herself into his arms.

“Nice to see you too, dear.” He dropped the bag he still carried, pulling her close and kissing her soundly, only stopping when he heard Daniel cough—loudly.

“Guess what Jadon can do?” She beamed, clearly thrilled with their discovery.

“So I see,” Jack said. Jadon stood framed in the open hatch. “Nice job, I’ll have to give you some pointers on landing her though.” Jack tightened his arm around Samantha and grinned. “She’s like a woman, Jadon, she needs a gentle touch.” The boy turned as red as his hair, Daniel sounded like he was choking on something and Teal’c smirked.

“Oww!” Jack complained mildly when Samantha jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow.

“Enough of that,” she said tartly, slipping from his grasp. “Get the rest of your gear. Dinner will be waiting!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So, Daniel,” Samantha asked, reaching for the rolls. “How do we know how far back in time we need to go to stop Anubis from ascending?” Sam passed the basket of hearty wheat rolls to Teal’c, who took six, piling them on his already piled high plate. She made a mental note to tell Cadee to bring in more rolls during her next pass through the dining room.

“It’s all in the scroll,” Daniel replied, between mouthfuls of scalloped potatoes and ham. He grabbed the basket of rolls from Teal’c and took the two remaining rolls. Jack took the basket from Daniel next and frowned, looking at her. 

“Cadee?” Sam called and fortunately, the girl stuck her head through the doorway. “More rolls, please?” She bustled into the room, casting the expected longing looks toward Daniel before taking the empty basket and returning to the kitchen. 

Teal’c paused in his eating only long enough to ask, “Of which scroll do you speak, Daniel Jackson?”

“The one I found in Ra’s palace, back on Earth. It was a legal document of sorts, for lack of a better description, describing the details of Anubis’ crimes and the terms of his exile. Signed and dated by the System Lords who exiled him.”

“So all Jack has to do is like last time? Think of the date and we’ll be transported back in time?”

“Sounds easy enough,” her husband commented with a grin, spearing another slice of ham. “Are there any more of those potatoes, Samantha?”

“Plenty more,” she commented dryly, passing the bowl of creamy, scalloped potatoes to him, making another mental note to pack plenty of snacks for their journey.

“We’ll need to fly the gate ship to Kheb—“

“Can’t I just think it there?” Jack interrupted.

“I don’t think it works like that, dear. We’d only end up going back in time on this planet.”

“Sam’s right,” Daniel interjected. “The best way to ensure we end up in the right place at the right time, is to start where we intend to finish—on Kheb.”

“And you do have an exact date, Daniel?” Jack asked. “None of this ‘in the age of Aquarius’ kind of thing?”

Samantha smiled and patted Jack’s hand. “You do remember that my husband tends to think very literally?”

“Ah, right,” Daniel murmured. Samantha could tell by the distracted look on his face that his brain was already busy calculating the exact date.

“I didn’t mean this minute, Daniel,” Jack teased, obviously interpreting Daniel’s look the same way.

“Oh, right,” he muttered, a slight flush chasing across his cheeks.

“And we get back the same way?” Samantha asked. “I mean, we can come back, can’t we? This won’t be like last time?” 

She didn’t like the look on Daniel’s face and while she didn’t think he’d deliberately deceive them, she could also sense a certain degree of fanaticism in his desire to stop Anubis. She was all for stopping Anubis, however she had so much more to lose this time around. Her eyes flickered briefly to her husband. She hadn’t told him her suspicions regarding her pregnancy and she certainly didn’t intend to now—regardless of the risk, there was no way she was going to let him go on this mission without her.

“Daniel…” Jack growled.

“If everything works out like we’ve planned, then yes, we should be able to return to this time and resume our lives as if nothing had happened.”

“Should?” Jack asked, his voice silky, his knife and fork poised mid-air over his plate.

“Will,” Daniel quickly corrected, “we will return.”

“Well, we’d better be able to,” Jack commented, slicing into his ham, “because I’m thinking if we don’t return Teal’c to Jahzara in one piece, she’ll come hunt us down no matter where in time we are.” And with that pronouncement, he popped a bite of ham into his mouth.

Teal’c’s face split into a broad grin, but he didn’t say anything; Daniel blinked and eventually coughed. “Oh, right…well, I wouldn’t want to be responsible for that.”

“Daniel, did you leave anyone special back on Earth?” Samantha asked curiously.

“Ah…” He looked flustered, clearly not expecting that question. “Ah, no,” he finally said. “I was married once.” They all looked at him now. “She, ah…she died.” He shrugged. “And I guess I’ve never met anyone who could replace her.”

Samantha placed her hand over his. “I’m sorry, Daniel.” And she was, she sensed a wealth of sadness behind his simple explanation.

He smiled faintly. “It was a long time ago, or will be.”

“So,” Jack continued smoothly. “How long before we’re ready to leave?”

Since he’d looked at her when he asked the question, Samantha answered while she buttered her roll. “Jadon and I weren’t able to check all the ship’s systems.” She looked at her husband then, who had a supremely pleased look on his face. “So we need you to check out the remaining systems.”

“What weapons do we possess?” Teal’c asked. Cadee appeared at that moment and he calmly took the basket of rolls she offered him, dumping them onto his plate and then handing the empty basket back to her. 

Jack’s eyebrows almost touched when he frowned and Samantha smothered a grin behind her napkin. “Cadee, are there any more rolls?”

“No, ma’am,” she mumbled, clearly nervous.

Samantha smiled reassuringly. “Bring out some bread then, please, for Mister O’Neill.”

“Yes, ma’am,” she bobbed in a brief curtsey. “Right away.”

“Okay, Teal’c,” Jack said. “Back to your question about weapons. We have what’s stored on the gate ship. You’re probably more familiar with them than we are, as most of them are ones we brought with us from Ra’s temple.” 

Teal’c nodded, using one of the rolls to help scoop the pea-like tragera beans onto his fork. 

“There are some weapons systems on the gate ship,” Samantha added.

Cadee had returned in record time with a plate piled high with thick slices of wheat bread and at Samantha’s nod, handed it directly to Jack. “Thanks,” he told the girl. Samantha smiled when he set the plate down where Teal’c couldn’t reach it. 

“We don’t really know what the weapons will do though,” he said, smearing butter on one of the slices. “What about your dynamite, Samantha?”

“I’ll need at least another day to finish up this last batch. I think Jadon and I have finally figured out the correct ratio of kieselgur to nitroglycerin.”

“Weapons won’t matter,” Daniel murmured into his plate.

“What?” Jack asked.

Daniel looked up. “Weapons won’t matter once we get to Kheb.” His expression was so calm that Samantha wondered what was going on in that brain of his. 

“I have heard such tales,” Teal’c remarked evenly. “There is a power greater than even that of the Goa’uld at Kheb.”

“Greater power or not,” Jack retorted. “I’ll still feel better if we take all our big guns.”

“Yes, dear,” Samantha smiled at her husband, patting his arm.

“You can bring your big guns, Jack,” Daniel said with a slight smile, “if it will make you feel better.”

Samantha bit back another smile at her husband’s offended look and she wondered briefly if this is what it had been like for Daniel, with the other Jack O’Neill; a friendship based on mutual respect and admiration—along with a healthy dose of affectionate teasing.

“So what do you think, Samantha?” Jack asked. “Two days max?”

She did some quick calculations in her head, trying to factor in everything they would have to organize and get ready and then nodded. “That should do it.”

“The sooner the better,” Daniel added.

“We do have a time machine, Daniel,” Jack drawled, setting his knife and fork down on his now empty plate. Daniel rolled his eyes, Teal’c raised an eyebrow and Samantha chuckled softly. Seeing that Jack was finished, Samantha did a quick check of the table, noting that everyone—even Teal’c—seemed to have finished eating.

Jack caught her eye then. “Dessert?”

“Your favorite,” she said with an affectionate smile.

Daniel looked at them curiously and asked, “Your favorite?”

“Cake.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jack swiveled around in the pilot’s chair of the gate ship and frowned. Samantha and Jadon were both bent over, peering into one of the open access panels of the time machine. Evidently ‘something’ wasn’t working quite right…which hadn’t seemed to influence any of the ship’s major operating systems, but he knew his wife and he knew she wouldn’t be happy until she had it figured out. 

There was a sudden flurry of sparks and a loud popping noise that had Jack jumping out of his seat and pulling Samantha back behind him out of harm’s way. “What the hell was that?” he asked sharply; aware of Samantha’s hands on his shoulders as she looked over his shoulder. 

Jadon had instinctively jumped back too, but even now was cautiously peering into the open panel. “I think…” the young man muttered. He tentatively reached into the panel and it looked like he poked at something when a low hum started building in the time machine and lights started flashing. Jack thought for a minute it was going to activate, but then the hum settled into a low, steady sound and the flashing lights stabilized. 

“There!” Jadon said proudly, his face flush with achievement. “I think that does it!”

Samantha slipped out from behind him and Jack kept close to her side when she approached the time machine and studied the display. It was all just flashing lights and dials to him, but she smiled when she looked up. “Excellent! I’d say we’re good to go!”

Jack smiled at his wife’s enthusiasm. “Would you now?”

“We’re ready?” Daniel stood at the open hatch, an armful of supplies, Teal’c right behind him.

“So it seems, Daniel,” Jack said. The two men crowded into the aft chamber of the gate ship. Jack took several of Daniel’s packages, peering into one of the boxes. “Good!” he said, “snacks!” He ignored his wife’s eye roll and stowed that particular box under the pilot’s seat while Teal’c and Daniel stowed the rest. 

Samantha shut the access panel and patted it. “All systems are working, at least as far as I can tell.”

“As far as you can tell?” Jack questioned.

She shrugged. “Well, since this ship didn’t come with an instruction manual, then yes, as best as I can tell.”

“Will it be able to go back in time?” Daniel asked.

“Well, since we decided we couldn’t risk a test run,” she added, “then I guess we won’t know until we reach Kheb.” She pinned Daniel with a serious look then. “You’ve calculated the exact date Jack needs for the time jump?”

Daniel nodded. “I finished translating the scroll last night and according to Ra’s scribe, Anubis was exiled during the final year that of Osiris and Isis reigned, before Ra killed their hosts and imprisoned their symbiotes.”

“Daniel…’

“Ah, right, Jack.” Daniel fished into his pocket and pulled out a scrap of paper. “3100 BC, during the time of heriu renpet, the five day period where one year begins and the next ends. One hundred years in the past—from this past.”

“Yeah, Daniel,” Jack said, snatching the paper from his hand and glancing at the date written on it. “I got it. One hundred years in the past—our current past.” Samantha giggled and he frowned at her. “Okay folks,” Jack said, ignoring his wife’s amusement and gesturing toward the rear hatch. “We’ve got a big day tomorrow—”

“I want to go with you.” Jadon blurted out.

They all stopped and turned to look at Jadon, who still stood by the time machine. “Jadon,” Daniel said, a slight frown creasing his forehead, “I’m not sure you understand what we’re going up against. This Goa’uld—”

“Doctor Jackson.” Jadon interrupted again, his voice strong even though Jack could sense the nervousness in the boy. “You say I don’t understand, but I do.” Jadon looked at Jack and then Samantha, his eyes apologetic. “You never asked why Safara and I took refuge here, you simply accepted us and gave us a home, and for that we will always be grateful.”

“Jadon,” Samantha said, “you don’t have to explain.”

“No, I want to. Then you’ll understand why I want to go with you.” Jadon took a deep breath, as if steeling himself for whatever lay ahead. “He sent his Jaffa to our world.”

“Anubis?” Teal’c rumbled.

Jadon nodded. “They were gathering slaves.”

Teal’c nodded in understanding. “To work in the mines and as fodder in battle,” he explained.

“I worked for my father-in-law, on his farm.” Jadon’s eyes got a distant look. “I was not at home when they came. It was late spring and as I did every year, I moved the cattle to their summer pasture, high in the mountains. I was there when I heard them come from the sky, saw their ships firing, saw the smoke and flames in the distance as they burned our town. It was two days before I could reach our farm, it had been completely destroyed.” Jadon looked at Teal’c then, his expression bleak. “Gavan, my father-in-law was dead.” 

“Too old to be of any use to them.” Teal’c commented gravely.

“What about Safara?” Samantha asked, clearly distressed. Jack put his arm around his wife, holding her close.

“I found her, hidden in the root cellar. Gavan must have hidden her there and then drawn the Jaffa off.” He sighed heavily. “There was nothing left for us there, all our friends and family were either dead or gone, so we left.”

“Oh Jadon,” Samantha murmured. She slipped out from under his arm and hugged Jadon.

The young man held her tightly for a moment and when he released her, Jack had no trouble mistaking the resolve in his eyes. “Anubis destroyed my home, killed my family, took my friends as slaves. I should be with them, not here, living as if all is right in the universe.”

“Jadon,” Samantha protested. “You can’t let yourself feel guilty because you escaped.”

His smile was gentle. “It doesn’t matter what I feel. I finally have a way to fight back, to destroy Anubis just as he destroyed us.”

“What about your wife?” Jack asked.

“She is in agreement.” He smiled slightly when Jack raised an eyebrow. “She is not happy, but she is in agreement. And besides,” he added brightly, “I can make the ship work!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jack groaned with pleasure and collapsed on Samantha’s still trembling body. Nestling closer and nuzzling her neck, he slowly relaxed under the soothing feel of hands stroking his back. These were the moments that made his life worth living and he just hoped that this wouldn’t be the last time he made love to his wife. 

Everything was packed and ready, all the systems of the gate ship checked and re-checked, they were as ready as they were ever going to be. It all seemed so simple, travel back in time to Kheb, stop Anubis from ascending and then return to the current time. And if the whole ‘stop Anubis from ascending’ part was a trifle vague, Jack figured even a Goa’uld wouldn’t stand a chance against a stick of Samantha’s dynamite. And while he wasn’t totally convinced that it was wise to bring Jadon with them, he hadn’t been able to come up with a good enough reason to leave the young man behind, given his ability to operate the gate ship.

When Samantha shifted subtly beneath him, Jack took the hint and pressing a kiss to her neck, carefully shifted off her. She sighed and his arms closed around her, holding her close as they curled up together in their large bed. The moon was full, shining through the sheer curtains over the windows. Jack nuzzled her neck again and she rolled over.

“Not sleepy?” she murmured, lightly stroking her fingers through his hair.

“Just thinking about tomorrow.”

“Are you having second thoughts?” 

“No,” he answered, realizing it was the truth. “Some of Daniel’s plan is a little too vague for me, but no, no second thoughts.”

She laughed softly, ruffling his hair. “I have the feeling that this is as concrete as any of SG1’s plans ever were.”

“You’re probably right,” he murmured, remembering all too well his days in the military. “What about you?” he asked. “Any second thoughts?”

“No,” she said, and he shivered slightly when her nails lightly scratched along his nape. “We’ll either succeed or we won’t. But either way, we’ll be together.”

He grabbed her hand and kissed her palm, before releasing it and stroking her cheek. Her eyes were luminous in the moonlight and when she smiled at him, he wondered—not for the first time—how he had gotten so lucky to have her in his life. “I love you,” he murmured gruffly.

Even in the moonlight, he could see the tenderness that filled her eyes. “I love you, too.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daniel quietly let himself out of the sleeping house, stepping out onto the verandah that ran along two sides of it. The moonlight gleamed brightly and the stars twinkled overhead. Daniel wasn’t sure why he couldn’t sleep and when he tried to remember if it had been like this before…he couldn’t. Maybe he’d always been like this the night before a big mission or maybe it was only now, after so much had changed. Not that it really mattered, he decided pragmatically. 

He slowly walked along the verandah, lost in thought, so it came as somewhat of a surprise when he turned the corner and almost fell over Teal’c. The Jaffa sat, with his legs crossed and eyes closed, on the wood flooring. “Teal’c!” Daniel exclaimed softly, startled. “Sorry,” he said, realizing he was interrupting the other man’s period of kel’no’reem. “I’ll ah…just go back this way,” he said, starting to back-up.

Teal’c’s eyes slowly opened. “I am finished,” he said, gracefully rising to his feet in one, smooth movement. “You are unable to sleep, Daniel Jackson?”

Daniel didn’t answer right away; he walked over to the railing and looked out over the quiet landscape, the moonlight providing an ethereal illumination to the grounds, the distant trees ghostly sentinels. Resting his hip against the railing, he finally answered. “Yeah…I couldn’t sleep.”

“You are uneasy regarding the mission we are to undertake in the morning?”

Daniel smiled in the darkness, trust the Teal’c of any reality to cut straight to the heart of the matter. “This is my personal battle, Teal’c, and I can’t help but think its pure selfishness on my part to want you guys with me.”

“It is the responsibility of all to take up the fight against evil.” 

Daniel was silent, Teal’c’s statement confirming what he already knew to be true about these three individuals he considered his friends. And he knew from past experience, they were stronger together than they were alone.

“And besides, you are unable to activate Ancient technology,” Teal’c pointed out. Daniel chuckled quietly, it seemed that practicality was also a common attribute in all the various Teal’c’s he’d encountered. 

“Do not fear,” Teal’c continued, “we undertake a noble goal in trying to prevent the spread of a terrible evil. Before O’Neill and the others from Earth came to Chulak, I would not have thought it possible to triumph over the Goa’uld, but I have seen that it is possible. I have seen that Jaffa can live in peace and have lives that are free.”

Teal’c’s voice resonated with a sincerity that Daniel had no trouble recognizing. He’d heard the same passion from Jack and Sam—and even from young Jadon, when he’d pleaded his case to come with them on the mission. It gave him the reassurance he hadn’t even realized he needed and for the first time he had an inkling of the burden great leaders bear when making decisions that affect the fates of thousands. Or in his case, millions—which was definitely not a thought that would help him sleep.

“I think I’m going to go fix a glass of warm milk.” 

“Warm milk?” Teal’c asked, his voice curious as he fell into step beside him.

“Ah…yeah.” Daniel smiled, wondering if this Teal’c had an aversion to ‘bovine lactose’. “Care to join me?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They left before first light with only Safara to see them off. The other residents of the compound only knew that they would be gone for a day; though Jack had left a letter for Safara to give to Gage if they didn’t return. Jack stood at the open rear hatch, Samantha, Daniel and Teal’c already inside. “Jadon?” he called to the young man, still held tightly in the arms of his wife. “It’s time.”

Jack felt the warm and comforting arm of his wife go around him as they waited for Jadon to finish his goodbye. “You’re sure you can’t persuade him to stay behind?” he murmured softly.

Samantha leaned her head against his shoulder and she sighed. “No, he gets just as stubborn as someone else I know.”

Jack grinned, brushing the top of her head with a quick kiss. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he teased. They watched for a moment longer, while the young couple shared one, last kiss. “Jadon?” Jack prompted again.

The young man finally released his wife and jogged the few steps to the ship. Once he was inside, and with a final wave to his wife, the hatch closed and Jack quickly took his seat in the pilot’s chair. “Jadon?” he instructed, “take the co-pilot’s chair.” Samantha, Daniel and Teal’c all crowded behind them. 

“You do remember how to fly this thing, don’t you Jack?”

Jack paused, his hands over the control and looked over his shoulder at Daniel. “Yes, Daniel. I remember.” 

Ignoring Daniel’s good natured grin, Jack once more looked forward and closed his eyes, letting his mind drift, something his wife would probably say he was very good at, and after only a few short seconds, he felt the first tell-tale vibration of the ship. He heard Jadon gasp and when he opened his eyes, the console in front of them was lit as bright as a Christmas tree. It seemed almost like the ship was excited to see him, eagerly awaiting his direction.

Grinning, Jack lightly touched the controls and the gate ship slowly and easily began to rise. With another gentle nudge, the ship slowly turned one hundred and eighty degrees to port and they saw Safara waving at them, illuminated by the ship’s exterior lights. He felt Samantha’s hand squeeze his shoulder and then he set the navigation controls to take them to the Stargate. 

It was a short ride and as the ship hovered safely out of range of the Stargate’s energy vortex, he turned in the chair. “Daniel? You do remember the gate address to Kheb?” he asked pointedly.

“Ah, yeah…” Daniel muttered, slipping in front of Sam and Teal’c to stand in front of the dialing console. He frowned for a moment and Jack almost made a snide comment, but then Daniel’s hands started moving surely over the console, the glyphs glowing under his touch and the inner wheel of the Stargate laboring to life. 

They watched in silence as one by one the chevrons engaged, the vortex whooshing to life a safe distance from them, before settling down to a shimmering pool of blue. Jack placed his hands back on the controls and smiled, looking around at his companions. “To Oz?”

Daniel frowned, blinking behind his glasses; Jadon and Teal’c merely looked confused while his wife, god love her, agreed with him. “To Oz!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The gate ship shot through the Stargate, Jack’s piloting skills evidently not deteriorating too much in the two years since he’d last flown the ship. Daniel leaned forward, gazing eagerly out the front windows as the trees and forest of Kheb came into view. “Can you slow it down?” he asked, straining to find a hint of familiarity in any of the terrain.

“Sure thing, Daniel,” Jack said. The ship slowed down considerably and Daniel resumed scanning the view in front of them. 

“Jadon,” Daniel heard Jack instruct the young man, “you take the controls.” The ship lurched slightly, but then settled back into its leisurely flight pattern.

“Daniel?” Samantha asked, peering through the front window as well, “just what are we looking for?”

“The temple.”

“Like Ra’s temple?” Jack asked.

“No,” he murmured, never taking his eyes off the forest below. “More like…that!” he exclaimed, pointing toward the left.

“I don’t see anything,” Jack complained.

“Jadon,” Daniel said excitedly, “go back and slower.” Jadon nodded and closed his eyes, the ship gradually turning and moving so slow it seemed to almost be hovering.

“There!” Daniel exclaimed, pointing toward a low, brown structure situated in a small clearing. “The temple.” 

“Okay,” Jack said. “Let’s set her down.”

“It looks like something from Japan or China,” Samantha commented. 

Daniel smiled slightly. “Its design will probably influence future buildings on Earth, yes.”  
The ship hovered over the grounds of the temple now. “Jack,” Daniel asked, “can you set it down in the outer courtyard?”

“Sure, Daniel.” With an ease that seemed to even impress Teal’c, Jack took the controls back from Jadon and the ship landed gently in the temple courtyard. Four sets of eyes turned to him then. 

“So, what now?” Jack asked, his hands hovering over the controls. “We go back a hundred years?”

“Ah…” Now that they were actually there, Daniel hesitated. “Maybe we should check the temple first. There was a monk here last time, maybe he was here when Anubis ascended.” 

Jack looked skeptical, but shrugged in apparent agreement, Teal’c nodded, so they geared up, which basically amounted to gathering some weapons. Jack had wanted to wear their old desert cammo from Earth, but he’d gracefully given in once Daniel had told them Kheb wasn’t located in a desert. And when Jack had protested the inclusion of their Egyptian robes, Daniel had pointed out that while desert cammo would look out of place on Kheb, the robes wouldn’t. 

They made an interesting group. Teal’c had on his Jaffa armor, minus the serpent head piece; Jack and Sam wore what Daniel had decided was their usual attire, their one acknowledgement to the military-ness of the operation, the left-over tac vests they both wore. As for him, he had traded his desert robes for borrowed clothes from Jack, the buckskin, moccasins and linen shirt making him feel like someone out of the Old West instead of what he was—a futuristic time traveler.

“So why don’t we have to wear the robes now, Daniel?” Jack asked.

Daniel was sure he asked just to be annoying, but he answered mildly. “Because I don’t expect anybody to be here but the monk.”

“Well, what if you’re wrong?” Jack persisted.

“Okay Jack, we can change if you want,” Daniel commented, calling his bluff.

Samantha snickered and Jack looked mildly offended. “No, no…that’s okay. I just wondered.”

When Jadon left his seat to join them, Jack stopped. “Sorry, Jadon. You’d better stay here, guard the ship.” The young man looked disappointed, but he nodded and leaned glumly against the center console, watching them.

“We won’t be long,” Samantha reassured him. “Right?”

“Right,” Daniel agreed quickly. “I just want to see if the set-up is like it was before.”

“Before?” Jack asked, opening the rear hatch, a smirk on his face.

“You know what I mean,” Daniel groused, wondering how it was that every alternate Jack O’Neill he encountered had the uncanny ability to annoy him. 

Once they were outside the gate ship, Jack paused and slipped his sunglasses on, in a move so reminiscent of the other Jack O’Neill that Daniel felt a pang of homesickness so strong it made him wish they could all just jump in the gate ship and have Jack whisk them forward to twenty-first century Earth. But they couldn’t and he’d just have to savor every annoying minute that they had together now, before they went their separate ways again. 

“Which way?” Jack asked, effectively interrupting Daniel’s wayward thoughts.

“Ah,” Daniel looked around the carefully kept gardens of the outer courtyard. Various groupings of rocks were nestled amongst the trees and bushes that lined the path, reminding Daniel of his favorite Japanese Garden. “Through the Torii gate,” he said, pointing toward the only gate in sight, which happened to bear a striking resemblance to those normally seen at Shinto shrines.

Jack raised an eyebrow, but started walking toward the gate. Daniel just stood there for a moment, struck again by that eerie sense of déjà vu that had been haunting him ever since the death gliders had first appeared over Ra’s temple on Earth. Teal’c stepped around him, a slight smirk on his normally impassive face. Samantha smiled brightly at him and slipped her arm through his. “Come on, Daniel,” she said brightly. “Let’s—” 

Whatever she had been about to say was cut off by unmistakable sound of a staff weapon discharging. “What the—” Daniel cried. Hard on that he heard the sharp staccato chatter of a P-90; he didn’t know what was going on, but he was so going to kick Jack’s ass.

Jack was already running back towards them, pausing every now and then to turn and fire the P-90. Teal’c’s was right beside him, firing his staff weapon as well. 

“Jack!” Samantha yelled and Daniel grabbed her arm when she would have run toward him.

“Go! Go! Go!” Jack shouted over his shoulder. “Get back to the ship!”

“Go!” Daniel urged, shoving Samantha in the direction of the ship. She started running toward the ship where, thank god, the back hatch was still open. Daniel pulled out his zat, preparing to activate it when Jack ran to his side. 

“Come on, Daniel, we have got to go now!”

“Did you see anybody?” he shouted above the continued weapons fire. 

“Just a whole shit load of Jaffa.”

“They bear the mark of Anubis,” Teal’c added, swinging his staff weapon around for another round of fire.

“So what happened to the nobody here but the monk?” The P-90 chattered again, the bullets bouncing harmlessly off the robed figure that had appeared in front of them. Teal’c’s staff weapon was equally ineffective. “Ah, Daniel?” 

“It’s Anubis!” Daniel exclaimed, barely registering the sudden lull in fire. “I should have known!” 

“Hurry!” 

Daniel hazarded a quick look behind him and saw Samantha standing in the open hatch of the gate ship with something he didn’t recognize in her hand. There was another volley of weapons fire and he heard Jack groan and fall; the unforgettable smell of scorched cloth and singed flesh searing his nostrils.

“Jack!” Samantha screamed as Teal’c pulled the injured man behind one of the large rocks along the path to the temple gate. Teal’c continued to fire his weapon from behind the scant protection the stone provided, the blasts he aimed at Anubis deflected by the Goa’uld’s personal shield. And then the next thing he knew, Samantha was there with them, with what turned out to be an armful of dynamite, and with great efficiency, began lighting the fuses and tossing the explosives in the direction of the weapon’s fire, the blasts of the dynamite almost deafening.

“God dammit, Samantha! Get back to the ship!” Jack ordered.

“Not without you, mister,” she retorted sharply. Her eyes were wide, but she didn’t slow down in her assault with the sticks of dynamite. Daniel crouched down next to Jack and felt an unexpected calm settle over him as everything fell into place. There was still a chance they could succeed…. 

“Teal’c, get Jack back to the ship,” Daniel said forcefully.

“Dammit, Daniel! We are not leaving here without you!” Jack ground out, clutching his injured shoulder in obvious pain.

Daniel shook his head. “It’s me he wants, Jack. You can still finish the mission without me. But you have to get out of here!” 

Daniel looked at Teal’c, who nodded somberly. Samantha paused in her assault with the dynamite sticks and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. “You be careful,” she murmured, lightly caressing his cheek. 

He caught her hand briefly. “Don’t worry about me, just get out of here.” She held his eyes for a moment longer and he nodded, trying to reassure her. There was a fresh volley of staff weapon fire and Daniel grinned, grabbing the P-90 that rested in Jack’s lap and leapt out from behind the rock, firing the weapon at Anubis. 

Out of the corner of his eye Daniel saw Teal’c half carry and half drag Jack in the direction of the gate ship, Samantha still tossing sticks of dynamite as she ran along behind them. Daniel kept up his cover fire, trusting Teal’c and Samantha to get Jack to the safety of the gate ship. He started slowly moving closer to Anubis, never letting up with the weapons fire.

“Jadon!” He could just hear Jack’s voice over the weapons, “Get us out of here!”

“NO!” Anubis roared impotently.

Daniel smiled and slowly lowered his weapon, oblivious to the staff weapon blasts that were now firing past him to the gate ship. Anubis had realized too late what was happening; the ground started to vibrate as the engines powered up. Daniel felt the swift updraft as the ship lifted off, confident now that his friends would succeed where he had failed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The small craft shuddered. “We are being fired upon, O’Neill.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” he groused, wincing as the unexpected movement jarred his shoulder. The little ship shuddered again and then Jack felt his stomach sink to his toes before it rushed back into place when Jadon’s maneuvering sent the ship into a vertical roll.

“I need to get up there,” he grunted, attempting to rise up off the floor of the aft compartment. 

A gentle, but firm, hand pressed against his chest. “You need to stay right where you are,” his wife said firmly. Her face was white, but he’d seen the expression on it often enough to know he wasn’t going to be able to persuade her otherwise. And damn, but his shoulder hurt so badly, he could barely think straight. 

“Samantha,” he protested anyway. “Jadon doesn’t have the experience—” Another blast rocked the ship. Jack gritted his teeth against the pain while Samantha braced herself against the bulkhead next to him.

“What should I do?” Jadon called. The boy’s voice was tense, but he kept his eyes and his hands glued to the controls.

“Continue with evasive maneuvers,” Teal’c instructed.

“Damn that Daniel,” Jack complained, relaxing back against the bulkhead during the lull between blasts. “How does he think we’re going to complete the mission with Anubis’ death gliders hot on our tail?”

Samantha held a gauze pad to his shoulder and sat back on her heels. “Complete the mission…” she murmured. Jack had seen that deep in thought look before too and then she suddenly smiled, “Hold this on your shoulder,” she instructed before pushing herself to her feet. Jack grabbed at the gauze pad; the ship took another hit and she lurched against the bulkhead, barely keeping upright.

“Jadon,” she staggered to the cockpit, gripping the back of his chair, “we have to go back in time. To the time when Anubis ascended, the time that Daniel told us.”

“But—”

“Samantha is correct,” Teal’c interjected. “Only by going back in time will we be able to escape Anubis and prevent his ascension.”

“One hundred years in the past, Jadon. Just let your mind go and think of that date, the time of heriu renpet,” Samantha urged.

Another blast slammed across the bow of the ship, jarring all the occupants and setting the small vessel into a steep nosedive. Samantha and Teal’c clung to whatever they could grab hold while Jadon almost slid out of the pilot’s seat. Jack closed his eyes against the nausea and waited for the impact…when he felt the ship suddenly pull out, the g-force pressing him against the bulkhead before it just as rapidly leveled out and he could breathe again.

“What happened?” he asked, opening his eyes. Jadon still sat in the pilot’s chair—his face white—Samantha and Teal’c standing behind him. The sky out the front windows glowed in brilliant hues of red, pink and indigo. 

Teal’c peered out the front window before turning toward him and smiling. “It would appear we have been successful, O’Neill.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh god, his head was killing him. Why did it seem that all he was doing lately was waking up with various parts of his body hurting? The last thing Daniel remembered was the gate ship taking off; Anubis had raised an arm in a gesture Daniel had no trouble recognizing, but before he could brace himself, Anubis had roared again and excruciating pain exploded in his brain. Which brought him back to his current situation. Daniel tried moving his arms and legs, but belatedly realized he was shackled to the hard surface he was lying on. With an inaudible sigh, he forced his eyes open.

Flickering torchlight, the typical affectation of most Goa’uld ships, cast the room into deep shadows. Daniel craned his head, looking around, he seemed to be alone, at least as far as he could tell, though he figured there were several Jaffa guards just outside the chamber. He moved his arm, the shackle held firm…he certainly wasn’t going anywhere for awhile.

Relaxing on the cold stone slab wasn’t the easiest thing to do, but Daniel gave it his best shot. It was probably just a matter of time before the questioning began. He wondered idly what form of torture Anubis currently favored. He wondered how long it would be before he broke…or if Anubis would even bother with the torture and just kill him. It didn’t really matter what happened to him. They’d never leave him behind, that was the one great strength—and failing—of his team. But this time he hoped that they understood the only way to not leave him behind was to finish the mission. 

He might have dozed off; at least he was caught off guard sometime later by the brutal slap across his face. “Was that really necessary?” Daniel muttered and opened his eyes to find Anubis standing over him, his face mask gleaming almost iridescent in the torchlight. 

“Your friends have deserted you.”

Daniel squinted up at the robed figure, realizing for the first time his glasses were missing. “So how’s that working for you? Being only half-ascended, I mean.” he commented casually, ignoring Anubis’ jab at his friends. Even though his expression was hidden by the containment mask, Daniel knew whatever passed for his face was contorted in rage.

“It will take more than that pathetic group of humans,” he spat out the word as if it soiled him to say it, “to stop me.”

Daniel laughed. “You just don’t get it, do you? Oh well, never mind. Just get on with it.”

Anubis held out his hand, a small spiked sphere rested on his gloved palm. “I have recently acquired this technology.” He tossed the sphere up into the air like it was a ball and his voice held a note of menace that should have worried Daniel, but didn’t. “You shall do quite nicely as a test subject.”

Daniel immediately recognized the device Anubis held as the same technology he’d used on Jonas and Thor. Jonas had come out of the experience relatively unscathed while Thor hadn’t been quite as fortunate. He really wasn’t sure what kind of information Anubis thought he would be able to retrieve from his brain. Granted, he knew all the memories from his ascension were hiding somewhere in his gray matter, along with his knowledge of the future….

“Ah…” he stammered slightly, “whatever happened to the good old hand device? Or pain stick?” he asked, stalling for more time.

“It is not your pain or even your death that I require Daniel Jackson. It is your brain.” 

With that ominous pronouncement, Anubis’ reached out, his robes trailing across Daniel’s face in a silky caress before he felt the press of cold metal into his forehead and then a blinding pain as the first spike punctured through his skull before he slid into blessed unconsciousness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So, what now?” Jack rotated his shoulder, checking the bandage Samantha had fashioned from what was left in the Air Force med kits they found stored in the gate ship. Fortunately, his injury seemed to be mainly superficial and he had no doubt, while being painful, he would heal. After their unexpected encounter with Anubis and on-the-run time travel, Jadon had managed to set the ship down in a sheltered glade, the vivid colors of what they now knew to be the sunset were already fading into the darker shades of twilight. 

Teal’c turned from where he stood, looking out the front windows. “It will be dark soon. We should make camp here for tonight and resume our quest in the morning.” 

Samantha pressed two pain pills into his hand and handed him one of their canteens.   
“Thanks,” he murmured, swallowing down the tablets. “So, do you think we’re close to the temple?”

“I believe I saw it when we landed,” Teal’c said, “not too far in the distance.”

Jack glanced out the front view screen, it was almost completely dark now. “Sounds like the best plan, Teal’c. Samantha?”

She looked up from where she knelt on the floor, pulling items out of one of the boxes. “Well, there’s not much we can do tonight.” She stood and fixed him and Teal’c with a stern look. “And besides, since Daniel’s not here, we’ll need a new plan.”

Jack sighed; she had a very good point. With Daniel still in the present, it seemed whatever advantage they might have had against Anubis was gone. “Yeah, I still don’t get how Anubis knew we’d be on Kheb.”

“I have no idea, Jack,” Samantha murmured.

“He is a god,” Jadon said, speaking for the first time since their frenzied flight. “Gods know all.”

“Well, he’s not a god,” Jack said tersely. “So get that right out of your head.” 

“It is more likely that Anubis heard rumors related to Ra’s defeat and the technology that made it possible.”

“Why did it take him so long to do anything then?” Jack could feel the pain in his shoulder start to subside, unfortunately, his head was beginning to ache; time travel always gave him a headache.

“It would have taken him time to rebuild his forces and resources in order to mount an attack of any significance.”

“Makes sense,” Samantha commented. “And who’s not to say he doesn’t have some kind of pre-cognition or something related to being ascended?” Jack raised an eyebrow at his wife’s comments and she shrugged. “I mean, according to Daniel, these ascended beings possess special abilities.”

“So, he knew we would do this? And so he went to Kheb to try and stop us?” They all stared at each other for a moment, then Teal’c and Samantha nodded. 

Jadon looked puzzled. “Does that mean he knows that we are here now?”

“My question exactly.”

“Jack, I barely understand the physics of this stuff,” she gestured around the gate ship, “it’s so far advanced beyond anything we had on twenty-first century Earth; much less the metaphysical aspects of ascension and time travel.”

“It does not matter whether Anubis is aware of our plan or not,” Teal’c commented gravely. “It does not change what we must do.”

All three sets of eyes were once more upon him. “Teal’c’s right. First thing in the morning, we finish what we started.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Favoring his wounded shoulder, Jack carefully rolled over on the pallet in their small tent and cuddled up against Samantha. He was lucky, he knew. While his shoulder was still sore, it was not as bad as it had been. And he was still slightly amazed at his wife’s preparedness, because he certainly hadn’t thought to pack the tents left over from their long ago military mission. Wrapping his arm around her, he nuzzled her neck and cautiously opened one eye. The first hint of daylight glowed feebly through the nylon and he closed his eye again, deciding it was still way too early to get up. 

Listening carefully, he couldn’t hear anything that indicated that Teal’c and Jadon were doing anything other than sleeping. Though to be honest, he wasn’t exactly sure Teal’c slept…there was that whole meditation thing. But it was quiet outside the tent, except for the first stirrings of the birds, the occasional cheep and twitter breaking through the early morning silence.

Plenty of time, he decided, to take advantage of the time they had left before it was time to get up. With precise determination, Jack carefully worked his hand under the soft T-shirt she wore—his wife’s one concession to their mission, she hadn’t brought her nightgowns with her, appropriating one of his old T-shirts instead. Gently cupping a breast, he rubbed his thumb lightly over the nipple, delighting in the delicate shudder than ran through her at his touch.

“Jack?” she murmured softly, moving sinuously against him.

“No, it’s Teal’c,” he whispered, nipping gently on her ear lobe.

She chuckled quietly and shifted in his arms until she lay on her back. He kept his hand splayed beneath her breasts and gazed down at her. “Just what do you have in mind, sir?” she asked quietly, her eyes sparkling with delight.

“Oh, I don’t know, doctor,” he murmured, pressing a trail of soft kisses along her jaw. “A little of this, a little of that.”

“How’s your shoulder?” she asked, the concern he saw in her eyes obviously warring with her passion.

“Only hurts a little,” he reassured her, rotating it so she could see. 

“Well, in that case, I think I’m up for a little of this or a little of that,” she murmured huskily, one long leg wrapping around his hips as he settled more fully on her.

He laughed softly in her ear. “Oh, I think I can promise you something more substantial.”

She chuckled again. “Isn’t there some kind of regulation about no sex before a mission?” Her question ended with a strangled gasp when his hand slid down her belly and slipped casually through her soft flesh.

“No,” he muttered, nipping lightly at her throat and continuing to intimately caress her. “That’s only in sports. As I recall from my days in the military it was always the more sex before a mission, the better.”

“Is that right?” she moaned, arching into his seductive touch.

“Oh yes,” he agreed raggedly. “Lots of sex.” 

Deciding at the last minute that maybe he shouldn’t stress his shoulder too much, Jack rolled onto his back, bringing Samantha with him. She immediately sat up and straddled his hips, balancing over him, and he groaned softly when she sank down on him, taking him fully into silky depths. 

Samantha started moving in an easy and familiar rhythm that soon had Jack moving slowly against her, drawing out their pleasure until she trembled and cried out softly, collapsing into his chest. When he was assured of her release, he gripped her hips and thrust heavily into her willing body until he became the one in need, shuddering helplessly in her loving arms.

They held each other tightly in the aftermath; Jack savored the final tremors of release cascading through them. He mumbled something mostly unintelligible into her neck, but god bless her, Samantha understood perfectly. 

“I agree,” she sighed, her arms tightening around him. “That was…good.”

“Just good?”

“Well…incredible.”

“That’s better,” he muttered. She kissed him fiercely before carefully easing herself off him and nestling against his uninjured side. Samantha hummed happily as she draped herself over him; Jack wrapped his arms around her and held her close as the sun crept slowly over the horizon and illuminated the interior of their small tent. 

“Soon now,” she murmured, rubbing her cheek against his chest. “We’ll know whether Daniel was right.”

“Yeah,” he agreed idly, his mind already racing ahead to all of the numerous worse-case scenarios his vivid imagination had conjured once Daniel had disappeared. 

“What do you think has happened to him?”

Jack stared blindly up at the blue nylon of their tent. Her voice was pensive and he knew she wanted a reassurance that he wasn’t sure he could give her. He sighed. “Samantha, you know as well as I do that—”

“Don’t say it, Jack,” she cautioned, tugging at his hair. “He’s not dead.”

Jack rolled suddenly, trapping her beneath him and looking down into her beautiful blue eyes. “You know—”

Soft fingers pressed against his lips. “He’s not dead,” she said firmly. “I know it.” She fixed him with a stern look he had no trouble recognizing. “We will succeed and we will find him.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he murmured, pride and love for this marvelous woman swelling within him. “Whatever you say.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She casually strolled in the garden, secure in the knowledge that she was alone—at least for now. Chao Lin had been allowed to take an extended leave, at her suggestion, and she was content to wait. Of course, she’d been waiting for more years than she cared to remember, waiting for this moment, when they would be reunited. 

Sitting down on one of the few wooden benches next to the ornamental pond, she took advantage of the shade offered by a weeping willow and gazed down at her reflection in the pool. The face looking back at her was at once equally familiar and foreign to her. It had been many years since she had cared one way or the other about her appearance. When one was ascended, appearances didn’t mean that much and were often times deceiving. But for him…for him she looked like she had once been, a woman of learning and some power, a woman who had suffered a great and tragic loss, but most important, a woman who had loved him.

“Oriana.” She whispered the name to her reflection, surprised at how odd it sounded coming from her lips when for years now she had thought of herself as Oma. Her reflection smiled up at her, brown eyes sparkling in the water, her long, blonde hair waving softly over her shoulders. She wore blue—his favorite color—the simple cotton blouse and flowing skirt somewhat incongruous in her current surroundings, but so very typical for Oriana. 

She sat back and closed her eyes, tilting her face toward the sun, enjoying the warmth and the soft caress of the breeze. Taking corporeal form was not encouraged, but then she had never been one to follow the rules, which in part explained her current course of action. She had watched him for years, kept track of his rise to power, always close by and waiting for the moment when he would need her. When she could help him the way she had been unable to help him all those years ago.

_She sat at her writing desk, busy translating one of the books Gavril had brought back to her after one of his many journeys through the Ring of the Ancestors. The book had been a major find, confirming what she suspected from her studies of the ancestors and showing the way for what she desired for herself—true enlightenment. She was positive it was almost within her grasp._

_“Oriana!” Jamen, her colleague at the university, companion and lover for the past ten years, rushed into the room, his voice urgent. “Quick! We must hide! One of their ships has landed!”_

_“Who?” she asked, without even looking up, annoyed at the interruption, her thoughts still focused in the past._

_“Anubis!” He pulled the book out from under her fingers and tossed it aside. “We must hide! Even now his Jaffa are marching into the city.”_

_“But…what does he want with us?” she protested. “We have nothing of use to the Goa’uld.”_

_“We have bodies, to be slaves or hosts.” Jamen grabbed her hand she let him pull her to her feet. “They require nothing more.”_

_She snatched her cloak off the hook by the door as Jamen pushed her through it and out into the street where they started running alongside their frantic neighbors, all of them seeking a means of escape, a place to hide from the onslaught. But it was to no avail, the Jaffa were too numerous and before any significant resistance could be mounted, they were being herded like so much cattle into the waiting Ha’tak._

_“What is happening?” she whispered, clinging to Jamen and watching in horror as small groups of their fellow prisoners were separated from the main group and taken away._

_“We’re being sorted,” Perrin, one of their colleagues from the university replied. “I’ve heard tales of this.” His eyes were bleak, his arm around his wife, their small daughter clutching at her mother’s skirts. “We’ll be taken to Anubis and he will decide our fate. Like the god he claims to be.”_

_The door of the cell clanged open and Oriana pressed closer to Jamen, as did all of those who were still left in the cell shrank back from the door. Anubis’ first prime stood framed in the doorway, his hard eyes showing no mercy. With a slight jerk of his head, the two Jaffa with him surged into the cell, using their staff weapons to separate the next group._

_Oriana clutched desperately at Jamen when they were roughly pushed out of the cell, Perrin and his family close on their heels. She thought a bit wildly that she should be paying attention to their surroundings, so if the opportunity arose and they escaped, she would have some knowledge of the Ha’tak. But she was too terrified to do anything but follow blindly behind Jamen._

_The long hall down which they walked ended at a set of elaborate gilt doors. The two Jaffa standing there sprung to attention and the doors glided open, revealing the opulent room beyond. They spilled into the room behind the Jaffa, crowding together for the scant protection and support offered by one human to another._

_Oriana slipped her hand into Jamen’s and followed his example, standing proud even though her insides still quivered with fear. The Jaffa and sycophants surrounding the raised dais at the far end of the chamber slowly moved aside revealing the great and powerful Anubis. Oriana could feel the hysterical laughter bubbling up inside her and clung tighter to Jamen’s hand._

_The creature that held the power of life and death over them looked to be nothing more than a frail, wizened old man, barely able to hold his head up straight. But then he looked up and she saw his eyes—they glowed briefly with a dim light and when that faded away they were dead, without any soul and filled with an evil she could never hope to comprehend._

_“My Lord.” Anubis’ first prime stood before his master and bowed low. “The next group.”_

_Anubis slowly rose, holding onto the arm of the statuesque priestess at his side. Oriana turned her face into Jamen’s shoulder, she couldn’t look at the Goa’uld, his dead eyes seemed to burn into her soul, so she missed the signal he gave his first prime._

_“Jamen! No!” she screamed. One of the Jaffa quickly restrained her when her lover was pulled from her side and forced to kneel in front of Anubis. The Goa’uld studied Jamen, a proud and defiant look remained on his face even through his forced obeisance._

_“You have done well, Ro’shan,” the old man eventually wheezed, his deep voice incongruous with his frail body._

_What happened next had been burned in her memory forever and still haunted her dreams. Anubis stood in front of Jamen and then something hideous emerged out of his mouth and leapt at Jamen. Two of the Jaffa grabbed Jamen’s arms when he instinctively recoiled, holding him as he struggled. “No! By the ancient ones, no!” he cried._

_Oriana closed her eyes, unable to look as the creature took him; Jamen’s agonized scream as the symbiote forced its way into him echoing throughout the chamber and cutting through her heart like a knife. The Jaffa released her and she collapsed to her knees, weeping. It was like a living nightmare. The lifeless body of Anubis’ old and discarded host was dragged away; the priestess knelt by Jamen, who remained on his knees, his head hanging while she murmured in his ear._

_With a rough movement, he shoved her away and unsteadily rose to his feet. The priestess remained kneeling, her head bowed, the Jaffa and the attendants soon knelt with her._

_Oriana was aware that one of the Jaffa guards pushed Perrin and his family to their knees and she watched with dawning horror as Jamen straightened his shoulders and turned, facing them. She hadn’t really understood what had happened until that moment, when her lover’s eyes glowed brightly and he spoke, his beloved voice reverberating so deeply that she barely recognized it._

_“Take the man and the woman as slaves,” he said almost casually, nodding toward Perrin and his wife. “Kill the child.”_

_Perrin and his wife were dragged away screaming and wailing, the girl crying for her parents as Ro’shan drew a weapon and fired upon the child. Oriana watched in shock as the girl fell to the ground, twitching and unconscious, he fired once more and she ceased to move and with a third shot, she disappeared completely._

_Ro’shan turned toward his master then. “What of the woman?”_

_Through the numbness that had settled on her, Oriana realized that Ro’shan referred to her. She looked up into Jamen’s beautiful blue eyes, which were now as dead and soulless as the old man’s had been, and they flashed with a golden light._

_“Kill her.”_

_Ro’shan turned the same weapon he’d use on the child on her and activated it, the dull metal barrel gleaming obscenely at her._

_“Jamen,” Oriana pleaded, “please.”_

_He smiled cruelly and turned his back to her, holding his hand out to the now smug looking priestess and helping her to her feet._

_“Jamen,” she whispered, the pulse from Ro’shan’s weapon coursing through her body, filling her with exquisite pain and she crumpled to the floor. Oriana felt her consciousness fading as the second pulse hit her, traveling along her synapses and stopping them._

_“Come with me.” A man dressed in a flowing white robe stood over her lifeless body. He held out his hand. “It is not your time.”_

_Oriana felt an extraordinary peace fill her and she reached up, took the man’s hand and let him pull her to her feet. She looked around the room, her vision seemed blurry, like she was seeing the world through a veil. The man smiled kindly at her. “Come, Oriana. Your destiny awaits you.” He began to disappear, turning into a shimmering white light that soon enveloped her._

_And as she felt herself ascend, transformed into the same white energy, she heard the voice that wasn’t Jamen’s scream in rage. “Oriana! Nooooo!”_

Oma shivered delicately, the slight breeze off the pool suddenly chilling her. She pulled the soft wool shawl closer around her shoulders. It had taken too long for her to reach this point and while it was the past that motivated her, she wasn’t going to dwell on the events that had become the defining point of her existence. If that moment, when Jamen had been taken as Anubis’ host and she had died had been the defining point of her past, this moment was to be the defining point of her future.

Watchful waiting was not something she was used to, but she had known patience would be the key. So she had waited and she had watched, seeking the subtle changes and seemingly minor occurrences that were her only indication that there was still something of Jamen that survived. And when she was sure, she had approached him—cautiously, in a dream—but when she discovered her suspicions were correct and Jamen had been able to influence the parasite inside him, she had put her plan into action.

The soft crunch of booted feet on gravel warned her that she wasn’t alone, but she wasn’t worried, it could be only one person. “Jamen!” she exclaimed, a joyous smile lighting her face when her lover appeared at the entrance to the garden. Even though he wore the trappings of the Goa’uld, the black tunic and breeches suited him, a stark contrast to his once dark hair that was now shot with silver. His returning smile was genuine, his blue eyes sparkling with love and pleasure. Rising, she ran the few steps that separated them, flinging herself into his arms, confident that he would catch her and hold her tight.

“Oh, my love,” she whispered, burying her face against his neck. His arms held her tightly and she could feel the soft press of kisses to her hair.

“Oriana, at last,” he murmured, his voice blessedly normal. “I have waited for this moment for what seems an eternity.”

She drew back slightly, gazing into his deep blue eyes. “As have I, my love, as have I.” His eyes softened and she felt herself drowning in them. “Jamen,” she murmured urgently. When his eyes blazed with passion, she wasn’t alarmed. This was the man she knew and trusted with her life—the man with whom she would soon share eternity. His urgent kisses conveyed a desire that ignited a corresponding passion within her. It had been so long and she had missed him so much that Oma let Oriana overcome her caution and she sank to the soft grass with her lover, rejoicing in his return to her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Samantha handed the binoculars back to Jack, her expression puzzled. “They look like lovers.”

“Indeed,” Teal’c rumbled, from where he crouched behind them.

Jack sighed, the good mood he’d managed to maintain so far started to fade. First Daniel and now this; nothing was going as planned. 

In spite of everything, it looked like another beautiful day in paradise, not too hot, not too cold. The sun was warm and there was a light breeze stirring through the wooded area where they knelt behind a low hedgerow. From their hidden vantage point on the outskirts of the garden, Jack once more looked with the binoculars at the couple that sat so close together on the bench in the outer garden. His wife, as usual, was right. The looks the couple exchanged and the casual way they touched each other spoke of an intimacy he hadn’t expected to see between a Goa’uld and an ascended being. 

“Maybe it’s not Anubis and Oma,” he commented, passing the binoculars over to Teal’c. 

“I have only fought Anubis’ Jaffa in battle,” Teal’c murmured, studying the couple through the binoculars. “I have never seen him in person.” 

“We might have to take the direct approach,” Samantha said, sitting down on the grass and pulling her robes around her.

“The direct approach?” Jack queried, sprawling out next to her. Jadon sat down cross-legged next to her while Teal’c crouched down across from them.

She shrugged. “Ask them who they are.”

“You mean just walk up and ask?” Jack asked, trying—but failing—to keep the doubt out of his voice.

“Do you have a better plan?” she asked with a skeptical look.

“Well, not exactly—”

“Didn’t Doctor Jackson say that this was a sanctuary, the starting point of the journey through darkness into eternal light?” Jadon asked eagerly.

“Possibly….” Jack muttered, trying to remember what Daniel had told them. 

“Jadon is correct,” Teal’c confirmed. “If we appear to be travelers seeking the path to eternal light, we may ascertain the identity of the couple and maintain an element of surprise.” 

It was a plan, maybe not the best one, but since Daniel wasn’t here to identify Anubis—or Oma, it seemed their best option. 

“All right then. Let’s go!” Jack replied as he stood and fumbled with his sunglasses as he tried to slip them on beneath his kaffiya. He glared at his wife. “I still don’t understand what possessed you to bring these,” he groused, even though he already knew the answer. “Or why we’re wearing them.”

Samantha grinned and took the hand he held out to her; she grabbed it and gracefully rose to her feet with his help. “Well, you know it was Daniel’s suggestion,” she said mildly in her ‘there, there dear’ voice, adjusting her burnoose. “He thought it would help us blend in better.” Jadon nodded in agreement, Daniel’s borrowed robes flowing around him. Even Teal’c had a donned a cream colored robe over his Jaffa armor.

Jack knew when he was defeated. “Okay, follow my lead,” he instructed, finally getting his sunglasses on, only to discover his ‘team’ had already started toward the garden without him. “Hey!” he said, indignation coloring his voice as he hurried after them. “Wait for me!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The pain in his head had subsided to a dull ache, which came as a surprise to Daniel since he couldn’t actually feel his body anymore. He tried opening his eyes and nothing happened, which was his first indication that perhaps he was dead…and while he hadn’t expected angels playing harps, he’d always assumed that the afterlife would be somehow a bit more substantial than his current situation would indicate.

Fighting back the panic that started to seep into him, he slowed his breathing—again, a somewhat odd paradox, given the whole lack of body thing—and concentrated on what he could feel. Power and energy flooded through him, filled with purpose and intent, systems designed to circulate life, just like in a human body except what he sensed wasn’t organic…. And then he realized where he was, he was in the ship. He had become part of Anubis’ Ha’tak and with that knowledge came his first inkling of hope since he’d been captured.

He’d been ascended when the same thing had happened to Thor, and his memories of that time were vague at best, but he had read and memorized all the mission reports from the time he was ascended, so he knew what had happened. And while his brain was nowhere near as powerful as that of an Asgard, he had been ascended once and even if he couldn’t take total control of the ship, he was confident he could at least throw a wrench into its systems.

Daniel took a deep breath and relaxed, lowering the barriers his mind had instinctively raised when it had sensed the threat from Anubis’ device. Binary codes and systems flooded into his mind, gobbledygook that meant nothing to him until he stopped trying to make sense of them and just let them flow through him until they sorted themselves into patterns that he could understand. 

The rush of power that filled him when he realized he understood the ship and could influence it was unexpected and it briefly occurred to him that he might be able to destroy the entire ship. But hard on that thought came the realization that as badly as he wanted to stop Anubis, he had never been an assassin. And while Anubis’ Jaffa were culpable for their actions, the collateral damage would be more than he would ever contemplate.

However along with the knowledge he obtained from the ship, he could also feel the slow but steady drain of his memories. Memories that included all of his knowledge of the Ancients and of Atlantis, of ZPM’s and the Pegasus Galaxy, all information that Anubis would be able to use to stop them—either now, or in the future. 

So Daniel searched the systems for ways to annoy and irritate; buying the time he instinctively knew his friends would need to complete their mission. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oma laughed softly at some silly comment Jamen made, still filled with an unbelievable sense of well-being and contentment. Her actions had been reckless and dangerous, yet she couldn’t think of any place she’d rather be at this moment, than in this place with this man. It was perfect and she never wanted it to end.

“Oriana,” Jamen said, tilting her face toward him with the gentle touch of his fingers under her chin. “It is time.”

She sighed, closing her eyes briefly in a futile effort to make the moment last longer, but he was right and what would happen next would be so wondrous—

“Greetings.”

Her eyes jerked open at the sound of the deep voice and she scrambled quickly to her feet, Jamen rising more slowly behind her. A Jaffa stood in front of her, his tattoo identifying him as belong to Apophis. He was flanked by two men and a woman, all dressed in robes and head dresses that could belong to any number of races and tribes throughout the galaxy. But only one bore the mark of a Goa’uld.

“We are travelers on the road to enlightenment,” the dark-skinned Jaffa stated smoothly. 

Her training automatically kicked in and she smiled graciously. “Then you have come to the right place, my friend.”

The Jaffa regally inclined his head. “I am Teal’c, formerly in the service of Apophis.” He gestured towards the others. “My comrades, formerly in service to Ra—O’Neill, Samantha and Jadon.”

A slight frisson of unease raced up her spine when she heard their names, but she attributed it to the fact that she had been discovered with Jamen and nothing more. She would help these travelers and then she and Jamen could begin their new life. “I am Oma de Sala.” She swept her arm in a graceful arc around the gardens. “And this is Kheb.”

“Then you are who we seek,” the youngest of the men replied.

“And your companion?” the Jaffa asked.

“Jamen,” she said, smiling and holding her hand out to her lover, who moved to her side. “Also a traveler on the road to enlightenment.”

Time seemed to slow down then and Oma wondered briefly if the others had discovered her plan and were even now planning to interfere. The Jaffa stiffened and swung his staff weapon into a defensive position. The older man and the woman suddenly had weapons pointed at them.

“He is Goa’uld,” the Jaffa growled. “Identify yourself!”

“No!” Oma cried, adopting a protective stance between the newcomers and Jamen. “He despises Anubis! He abhors their ways and is seeking enlightenment, just like you!”

“He’s just using you,” the woman interjected. “We’re from the future and he—”

“Nooo!” her lover suddenly roared. 

But he wasn’t her lover, the deep tones of Anubis drowning out Jamen’s beloved voice. With a powerful sweep of his arm, Jamen knocked her to the ground. She fell and watched in stunned bewilderment as he raised his left hand, a Goa’uld hand device gleaming evilly in the bright morning light. 

His eyes glowed, his whole demeanor transformed into an evil caricature of the man she adored. “You shall pay for your transgressions!” 

It was her turn to scream when the tranquil atmosphere of the temple gardens was rent with the sounds of gunfire. The sharp staccato beat of the older man’s weapon drowned out the noise of her scream before the more familiar whoosh and whine of the Jaffa’s staff weapon assailed her ears. _This shouldn’t be happening,_ she thought wildly, _she couldn’t allow this to happen._

Heedless of the chaos raging around her, Oma staggered to her feet and raised her arms, when the gardens suddenly disappeared and she stood inside the temple at Kheb. A glowing figure slowly materialized in front of her and she recognized Alaric, her mentor and guide, the man who had helped her ascend. His smile was gentle, his eyes filled with great sadness. 

“My daughter,” his voice sounded in her ears though he never spoke. “You have let your emotions cloud your mind. This can never be.” 

The pool of light that surrounded them expanded and the four strangers appeared, their weapons gone and their eyes full of confusion. Within seconds, Jamen appeared as well, his eyes filled with impotent rage when he realized he had been rendered helpless.

“You wish to prevent this man from achieving ascension.” Alaric spoke now.

The older man, O’Neill, stepped forward, the woman holding onto his arm while the other two men flanked them. “We do.”

“For what reason?” Alaric’s voice remained calm even while her mind was screaming at him in outrage at his interference.

“He is a Goa’uld,” the Jaffa responded.

“That in itself is not reason enough,” Alaric replied in the same, gentle voice.

The woman stepped forward then, the older man standing protectively at her side and while Samantha spoke to Alaric, her eyes never left Oma’s. “He is lying to you, he doesn’t want ascension, he only wants the power to use towards his own ends.”

“No!” Oma broke in, “you are wrong!”

“After you help him ascend, his treachery will be discovered,” the Jaffa added. “What had been done could not be completely undone and he will exist as neither Goa’uld nor ascended being. But his lust for power will never end and he will kill and subjugate millions in his quest for ultimate power.”

“How can you know this?” Oma asked, doubt and bewilderment filling her.

“Because we’re from the future,” O’Neill stated firmly. “We have a time machine and we came here to stop Anubis from ascending.”

“You would interfere in matters you know nothing about!” Oma snapped, ignoring Alaric.

“You listen to me, lady,” O’Neill said, irritation and impatience coloring his voice. “Even now, albeit one hundred years in the future, your…friend Anubis here,” he sneered, “tried to prevent us from returning to the past and is more than likely torturing our friend and former ascended being Doctor Daniel Jackson.”

“How is this possible?” she murmured, still refusing to believe that any of this could be possible.

A half smile filled O’Neill’s face. “You’re asking me that? Time travel gives me a headache, just ask my wife here,” he said, slipping his arm around Samantha. “Anyway, I thought you ascended beings knew all.”

“They speak the truth,” Alaric said. He turned to her, taking her hand. “You are so young, my Oriana. There is much yet for you to learn regarding our ways.”

“But…I only wanted Jamen to share in all of this.” Her mind probed Alaric’s, seeking answers that he would not—or could not—share with the humans. A kaleidoscope of images flashed through her mind, horrible visions of a half-ascended being intent on universal domination, the faces of those who died needlessly and finally, the hazy image of a man who would risk everything to set right what she had done wrong…and she finally understood.

“You were so easy to fool, Oriana,” Anubis growled. 

Her tenuous link with Alaric was interrupted and Oma felt as if a veil had been lifted from over her eyes and she saw Anubis clearly for what he was. 

“Did you really believe that your lover could control the great Anubis?” he said mockingly. “Together we could have ruled the universe.”

She had no answer to give him nor could she make any excuses for what she had so selfishly planned, so she said nothing. It went against her nature, but whatever happened next was not for her to decide.

“So, what happens now?” O’Neill asked. “Détente?”

Alaric actually smiled and Oma felt the uneasy currents swirling around them lessen. “An apt description perhaps,” Alaric commented dryly. “Recent actions notwithstanding, it is not our role to interfere in the lives of the un-ascended.”

“Could have fooled me,” O’Neill muttered.

Ignoring O’Neill, Alaric continued. “You,” he said, indicating the three humans and the Jaffa, “will be returned to your time where you may continue to live the lives you have established.”

“What of Anubis?” Teal’c rumbled.

“He will not ascend.”

“That’s it?” O’Neill asked, his voice and expression incredulous. “You’re going to let him live?”

“It is not for us to decide his fate,” Alaric said calmly, his image starting to fade. “You have achieved your goal, Anubis will not ascend.” 

Oma felt Alaric enfold her with his energy and she welcomed the sensation, relief at not being exiled for her transgression warring with the deep sadness within her over the loss of her lover. Alaric hovered briefly over the small group and Anubis shimmered and disappeared, sent back to his ship. The four remaining humans began to shimmer and fade when she heard O’Neill call out before they disappeared completely.

“What about Daniel?” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jack blinked and scowled, the familiar mountains visible in the distance through the front windows of the gate ship confirmed his initial suspicion—they were back on Terra. One minute they’d been standing in the temple at Kheb and then the next thing he knew, they were in the gate ship, Oma and her friend had evidently made good their promise to return them to their home. 

“Are we home?” Samantha asked, her hand resting lightly on his shoulder as she too looked out the front window.

Jadon scrambled to his feet. “It’s Terra, all right,” he said excitedly. “I can see the bell in the schoolhouse!”

Sure enough, through the trees at the edge of the small clearing where they had ‘landed’, Jack could see the white cupola on the roof of the school, the sun glinting dully off the bell. Samantha’s hand squeezed his shoulder. “Looks like we’re home.”

“It would appear that we have been returned.”

“So it would appear, Teal’c,” Jack commented dryly, still not sure how much he trusted any ascended being. They might be home, but was it the right time? “How long do you suppose we were gone?”

His wife frowned briefly, but then she smiled. “I can check the chronometer.”

“The what?”

“The ship’s internal clock.” She was already busy pulling down one of the panels in the aft compartment, tapping the stylus rapidly on the screen. “I’m betting the chronometer will have recorded a time stamp for all recent activity. And…” she flashed them a brilliant smile, “and here it is!”

“So, how long?”

“Well,” she replied, studying the read-out. “It looks like we’ve been gone about ten hours—it’s the same day we left.”

“Well, that’s good,” he said, relieved that at least one part of their plan had gone as planned.

“It would appear we are about to have company,” Teal’c commented.

They all turned and looked out the front window. Their arrival hadn’t gone unnoticed; a group of children and several adults had just appeared at the edge of the clearing and had started running towards the ship.

“It’s Safara!” Jadon exclaimed. 

Jack lightly touched one of the controls and the rear hatch opened, an excited Jadon leaping out of the ship. The three remaining adults exited at a more leisurely pace, Jack with his arm around Samantha and Teal’c hovering behind them. 

It was an exuberant reunion, Safara hugging and hanging onto Jadon like she never intended to let him go again. The children were just plain excited, at exactly what, Jack wasn’t sure, since they knew nothing of what had transpired. But evidently the sudden appearance of the gate ship, along with the unexpected break from school was more than enough to get them all worked up.

The older boys had crowded around Teal’c, clearly in awe of the Jaffa, pestering him with questions about where he was from, the ship and did he really have a snake in his belly. Samantha had been the recipient of hugs and kisses from several of the smaller children, until Cadee managed to corral them and started to slowly shepherd them back towards the school.

“Yeah, I’d say we’re home,” Jack said, slipping his arm back around Samantha and pressing a kiss to her temple. 

She sighed and rested her head against his shoulder. “So, if we’re home and Anubis never ascended…where’s Daniel?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Order up!”

 _Okay, this was getting old._ Daniel sighed and took a sip of his coffee. _Funny…it tasted like coffee._ He shifted and the green vinyl of the bench seat creaked, just like he was really sitting in the waffle shop. _But it had to be a dream, didn’t it?_

Waitress Oma shoved a plate piled high with waffles in front of him. “Here you go, Danny boy.”

“Oma?” he asked, blinking at her from behind his glasses.

“Oh right, I forgot your bacon.” She cracked her gum and before he could stop her, she sauntered back over to the order window.

Daniel stared at her for a moment before turning back to his waffles, watching the butter melt into the little squares. This could not be happening to him again. He could only think of two possible scenarios where he could be back in the diner: he was dreaming or Anubis had killed him. And right now, he really couldn’t decide which was the more preferable explanation. 

A small plate with three strips of bacon clattered on the table in front of him. “Man, my dogs are killing me,” Oma said, sitting down across from him.

“What am I doing here?”

“Do we really have to have this conversation again?” she asked with a slight eye roll.

 _Had he been this maddening when he was ascended,_ Daniel wondered. He took a deep breath and tried a different question. “Where’s Anubis?”

“Back where he belongs.”

Daniel gritted his teeth. “And where exactly would that be?”

Oma jerked her head towards the counter and kitchen pass-through. Daniel frowned at her but finally gave in and looked across the room. It didn’t look any different than any of the other times he’d been here. The counter was the same, napkin holders, salt and pepper shakers at designated intervals; he could see the cook, busy at the grill; tickets hanging from the order wheel and…a vaguely familiar white canopic jar.

He squinted, a puzzled look on his face and turned back at Oma. She gazed blandly at him, a slight smile curving her lips. “When Anubis failed in his attempt to ascend, the other System Lords were successful in exiling him.”

“To a stasis jar,” he murmured, finally understanding.

Oma nodded. “This time, since he never ascended, he was unable to prevent them from placing him in stasis.” She looked over at the jar. “Where he has remained ever since.”

“What happened to his host?”

“His host?” Oma looked at him, a mysterious glint in her dark eyes. “His host ascended.”

“Ah.” She didn’t say anything more and Daniel realized it was probably as much of an explanation as he would ever get out of the enigmatic woman. And on limited reflection, it was probably enough. 

“Which still leaves us with the question of what happens to you.” Oma slid off the bench seat and stood by the table, flipping through her order pad. “You can’t stay here forever, Daniel. You either ascend or go back.” She set his bill down on the table. “It’s your decision.”

“What?” He didn’t know if he was relieved or insulted by her uncharacteristically direct approach. “That’s it? No existential metaphors where you try to convince me to ascend?”

She shrugged. “It’s always been your decision, Daniel. Nothing that I can say or do will ever change that.”

“Order up!” the cook bellowed.

“You can pay at the register,” she called over her shoulder, leaving him staring at the now congealed butter on his cold waffles.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Samantha waited in the shade of the porch while Gage and her husband finished hitching Patty and Selma to the wagon. She would be sorry to see Teal’c leave, even though she knew he was anxious to return to his home, so she counted the extra week he had agreed to stay with them as a small bonus from their adventure. He and Jack, along with Jadon, had spent the better part of that week building a more permanent structure to store the gate ship. And while she hoped they never had cause to need it again, she knew her husband rested easier knowing it was there, if necessary.

Teal’c and Jadon emerged from around the corner of the porch, both carrying baskets filled with gifts and other items for the Jaffa community. The whole back of the wagon was filled with baskets full of goodies and other necessary goods, which was one of the reasons why she wasn’t making the trip to the gate. When Gage finished the last adjustment to Selma’s yoke and patted her rump, Samantha slowly walked down the steps to say her goodbyes—not final ones, not this time, anyway. She had already extracted a promise from Teal’c to keep in touch and she suspected that this time, they would.

“Samantha.” Teal’c smiled and engulfed her in his arms. She clung to him, fighting back the unexpected tears. As much as she loved Jack and her new life on Terra, there had been something infinitely comforting in seeing Teal’c and Daniel again. She only wished that Daniel was here, even to say goodbye to, instead of lost somewhere back in time. 

“Take care of yourself,” she whispered, finally getting her emotions under control. Loosening her hold on him slightly, she stretched up and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“Indeed,” he rumbled, and she smiled.

Jack had appeared by her side and when she stepped back, he put his arm around her and gave her a comforting squeeze. “I’m sure we’ll see Teal’c again. In fact, he’s already promised to invite us to the wedding.”

“Wedding?” she asked, delighting in the blush she swore she could see under his dark complexion.

“Yeah, her name is Jahzara.” Her husband’s grin was wicked when he clapped Teal’c on the back. “I heard her tell Daniel he better return you to her in one piece—or else!”

There was an awkward silence when they all realized it was Daniel who hadn’t been returned. Samantha forced a smile to her lips. “Well, I can’t wait to meet her then,” she said lightly, trailing behind the men over to the wagon. 

Jadon hopped in the wagon bed, somehow finding a spot amongst all the baskets and supplies. Teal’c vaulted easily onto the bench and Samantha kissed her husband. “Drive safely,” she admonished, watching as he climbed up next to Teal’c and took the reins in hand.

“Don’t worry,” he teased her, his eyes twinkling. “I doubt either Patty or Selma can—”

A woman’s scream suddenly cut through the air, followed by a loud crash. Startled and with her heart pounding, Samantha looked around urgently for the source when she realized that it came from inside the house. Jack and Teal’c immediately jumped off the wagon and ran past her, their boots pounding across the porch. She hurried after them, Jadon on her heels.

“What on earth—” Samantha heard her husband say and then to her surprise, he burst out laughing, Teal’c’s baritone rumble joining his.

“What is going on?” she demanded, pushing her way between the two men who stood in the entryway to the dining room. “Oh my…” she murmured, shaking her head and smiling in relief and no little amusement.

Lareina stood in one corner of the dining room holding a cowering Cadee in her arms, the floor in front of the two women was covered with broken crockery—obviously the sound of the loud crash they’d heard. Samantha surmised from Cadee’s shaken condition that she was the one who had screamed. And standing in the opposite corner, clutching her good white linen tablecloth around him and the apparent source of all the drama, was Daniel.

“Daniel, you’re alive!” Samantha said, leaning back against Jack and feeling almost as shaken as the frightened Cadee. 

“Daniel Jackson.” Teal’c inclined his head, apparently not at all shocked to see the almost naked man appear. “It is good to see you again.” 

“So Daniel,” her husband drawled. “Quite an entrance.”

“Ah…thanks,” he muttered, clearly embarrassed and tugging the table cloth up over one shoulder. “You’d think I’d get used to this.”

“Used to what?” Samantha asked.

“Oh, the ‘others’,” he used his hands to make quotation marks, clutching quickly at the tablecloth when it started to droop. “Seem to find great amusement in sending me back buck naked.”

“Daniel,” Samantha interrupted, practicality setting in. “Go put some clothes on, we’ll get things cleaned up in here and then you can tell us all what happened.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So…let me see if I’ve got this straight.”

The four of them sat around the dining room table, which had been covered with a fresh tablecloth, the remains of afternoon coffee and cake surrounding them. After Daniel’s unexpected arrival, Teal’c had elected to postpone his departure for one more day, evidently as curious as the rest of them to hear what had happened to him. And it had been an interesting story. 

Samantha looked expectantly at her husband and smiled, waiting to hear his take on all that had happened, since she had a few theories of her own. 

“We stopped Anubis from ascending, you…died and this Oma de Sala gave you the option of ascending—again—or returning?”

“That about sums it up, Jack,” Daniel said, idly stirring his coffee.

“Why did she not return you to Earth?”

“My question exactly, Teal’c!”

“I honestly have no idea,” Daniel commented. “What motivates the ascended is a mystery, even to me.”

“I have a theory about that,” Samantha said, looking around the table at each of the men seated there. “Now we all know that according to quantum theory, for every possible universe, there are an infinite number of variations, diverging at every choice we make.”

“All that ‘fork in the road’ stuff, right?” Jack asked.

“Yes, exactly!” She smiled proudly at her husband, pleased that his eyes hadn’t immediately glazed over at the mention of quantum theory. “Daniel, I think that since we prevented Anubis from ascending, the whole timeline that involved him and his actions went a different direction, one where he didn’t invade Earth.” She gazed somberly at Daniel, placing a gentle hand over his. “Since he never went to Earth to find you, you never had a reason to unbury the Stargate.”

Daniel didn’t say anything, apparently considering her theory. “It makes sense,” he finally murmured. “I mean, look what happened the last time we inadvertently changed the timeline.”

“Well, we don’t know for sure that you can’t go back,” Jack pointed out. “Unless there’s still a _him_ back on Earth….” His voice trailed off and he shook his head, a cutely befuddled expression on his face.

Samantha squeezed Daniel’s hand briefly before reaching across the table and patting her husband’s hand. “Don’t go there, honey. You’ll just give yourself a headache.”

“All we need do is dial the address for Earth,” Teal’c finally spoke. “If the Stargate is buried, then it will not engage when the address is dialed.”

“Teal’c’s right,” Samantha agreed. “We just have to dial Earth and see what happens.”

“What if you’re right?” Daniel finally asked, looking uncharacteristically vulnerable. “What if I can’t go back?”

Samantha’s heart went out to him, but before she could say anything, her husband answered in a firm voice. “Then you stay here with us, Daniel.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daniel lay on the soft, goose down mattress in the guest bedroom, not getting anymore sleep than he had the before the eve of their mission to stop Anubis. Sighing, he finally gave up and pulling on his trousers and a shirt, made his way to the kitchen, hoping that some warm milk would do the trick again. It only took him a moment to light the oil lamp and even less time to light one of the gas rings on the stove. 

Opening the refrigeration unit, that ran off of some alien technology with which he didn’t recognize, Daniel grabbed the pitcher of milk and marveled at the intriguing hodgepodge of technologies that graced his friends’ home. They had everything ranging from the simplest of oil lamps to the most sophisticated of space crafts, yet it all seemed to mesh together and create a truly unique atmosphere. Rummaging in a cupboard for a pot, he poured a generous amount into it and plucked a wooden spoon out of a crock on the counter.

Daniel stirred the milk, the slow, rhythmic movement at odds with his racing thoughts. He wasn’t sure he could do it again, start over in a new place…on a different planet. He also wasn’t sure if he could face losing ‘them’ again. To watch them die that first time had almost killed him the and during those first, dark years without them, he wished that he had died as well. It had taken time, but he had finally built a comfortable life and while he didn’t think he was normally so melodramatic, he was tired of having to start his life over and over again. 

“Daniel?” Samantha stood in the doorway, tying the belt of the long, white robe she wore. Daniel blinked, momentarily taken aback, she looked so different with her hair down and he was once again forcibly reminded that no matter how much she reminded him of his Sam, she wasn’t.

“Sorry,” he said. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Couldn’t sleep?” she asked, stepping further into the room. He shook his head, slowly stirring the milk.

Samantha stepped closer and peered into the saucepan. “Warm milk?”

“Uh huh,” he murmured.

“Got enough for two?” she asked, opening a cupboard and taking down two coffee mugs. 

“Of course,” he said, pouring the last of the milk from the pitcher into the saucepan. He kept stirring, vaguely aware that Samantha was busy rummaging in the cupboards and when he finally poured the warm milk into the two mugs she’d gotten out, he saw she had set out a plate with some cookies at one end of the kitchen table.

“Oatmeal currant,” she said, sitting down and taking the mug of warm milk he handed her.

Daniel sat down kitty-cornered to her and picked up one of the thick cookies, dunking it into the warm milk. The next several minutes were spent in companionable silence, munching on cookies and sipping the soothing drink.

“So, why can’t you sleep?” Samantha finally asked, breaking her second cookie in half before dipping it into her mug.

He looked at her over his glasses and snorted. “Why do you think?” he said, whatever soporific effects he had started to feel from the warm milk disappearing with her question.

“I think,” she said, meeting his eyes across the table and apparently not at all offended by his attitude, “that if I was faced with the prospect of restarting my life over for the third time that I wouldn’t be able to sleep either.”

“Make it more like the fourth or fifth time,” he muttered glumly.

“I was scared to death when we left Earth.” She smiled slightly and shook her head. “I’m not even sure Jack realized just how terrified I was those first few months. I mean, rationally I knew that the Earth I had left behind was as foreign as my new home, but at least I would have been on Earth and not on a planet light years away, with a man I barely knew.”

“But…I thought?” Daniel wasn’t sure what to say, he hadn’t ever really thought about what it must have been like for her and Jack, starting over together. 

“Oh, I loved Jack—still do,” she chuckled. “But I discovered loving someone and living with them are two very different things. There was more than one occasion when I wanted to pack it all up and go back to Earth. Yes, even ancient Egypt,” she said at his skeptical look. “But…after a time, this place became my home and the people here became my family.”

 _“”Whither though goest, I will go; thy people shall be my people,’”_ he quoted. 

“Something like that,” she agreed. “Let me ask you something, if you had known before this all started that you wouldn’t be able to go back, would that have made any difference?”

Her insightful question surprised him and initially he wasn’t sure what to tell her, but then he grinned at her a bit ruefully, the answer easy. “No,” he said, realizing the truth. “It wouldn’t have made any difference at all.”

“Go to bed,” Samantha said, standing up and setting her empty mug on the counter by the sink. She paused by his chair and kissed him gently on the cheek. “Everything will look better in the morning.”

Daniel downed the last of his milk, clearing the table of the evidence of their midnight snack before heading back to his room. Stretching back out on the still soft and comfy mattress, he smiled up into the darkness. She might not be his Sam, but she knew him just as well. And he realized, smothering a yawn, she was right, everything would look better in the morning—no matter what happened.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For such a somber mission, it was a surprisingly boisterous group that made its way to the Stargate on Terra the next morning. Patty and Selma had once more been hitched to the wagon, Jack, Teal’c and Jadon were in the larger wagon, hauling the numerous baskets and parcels intended for Cal Mah, while she and Daniel were in the pony cart, Maggie trotting briskly behind the larger wagon. 

And as was usually, they had picked up quite the interested crowd on their way through the surrounding countryside and town. Most were on foot but there were several buggies and carts trailing along behind them, along with the requisite dogs, eager for an outing. Samantha chuckled softly, all they needed was a marching band.

“What’s so funny?” Daniel asked, glancing curiously at her.

“Nothing,” she said, smiling. “Get on up there, Maggie!” She flicked the reins, urging the horse on after the other wagon, which had already arrived at the Stargate.

By the time Maggie trotted them briskly up to the Stargate, the larger wagon was already unloaded, thanks to the help of the curious crowd. “Are you ready?” Jack asked, steadying Maggie while she set the brake on the cart.

“Let’s get this over with,” Daniel said, jumping out of the cart. 

Samantha waited for Jack, who grabbed her waist and swung her down off the cart. It wasn’t so much that she needed the help, but she wasn’t going to pass up any opportunity to be close to her husband. She slipped her arm through his as they followed Daniel to the DHD.

“So, do you think it will work?” Jack murmured.

She sighed softly. “I really don’t know, Jack. But I think whatever happens, he’ll be okay. He’s a survivor.”

Daniel stood staring down at the DHD. 

“So, do you remember the address?” Jack teased, when they reached his side.

Daniel looked up at him from under his glasses. “Yes, Jack,” he said mildly. “I remember.” He took a deep breath and then without further delay, he started pressing the glyphs. The inner wheel of the Stargate lumbered into life, each chevron lighting in sequence until all seven glowed orange. 

Samantha slid her fingers through Jack’s and squeezed hard, waiting anxiously as Daniel’s hand hovered over the center crystal. Daniel looked at her and she smiled, trying to muster more reassurance than she felt. He nodded briefly and lowered his hand to the crystal, pressing firmly…the Stargate shuddered and then the chevrons disengaged and winked out.

The collective groans and sighs of disappointment of the crowd filled the silence when the Stargate went dark. Nobody spoke, all eyes turned to Daniel, who still stood at the DHD, staring at the silent gate. 

“It would appear that the Stargate on Earth is buried, Daniel Jackson,” Teal’c announced solemnly.

Samantha released her death grip on Jack’s hand and moved closer to Daniel, resting a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry, Daniel,” she whispered. “I know how much you wanted to go home.”

He shrugged, not looking as devastated as she had anticipated after their late night chat.   
“’Home is the place where, when you have to go there, They have to take you in.’”

“Robert Frost,” Jack said, putting his arm around her. “And this place can be your home, if you want.” 

Everyone gathered in the clearing where the Stargate bore silent witness watched as Daniel, his expression somber, took off his glasses, and using a white linen napkin he must’ve borrowed from the dining room, cleaned his glasses. When he put them back on, he looked around him and slowly smiled. “I was getting kind of tired of all that sand anyway.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Goodnight, Daniel.” Jack nodded at the younger man from the door to his and Sam’s room, watching as he slowly made his way down the hall and disappeared into the guest room. Jack opened the door and stepped inside the bedroom, shutting the door firmly behind him. It had been a long day and he was glad to shut the door on the rest of the world. Samantha was already changed into one of her long nightgowns, sitting at the dressing table.

His eyes met hers in the mirror and she smiled at him, her fingers nimbly unbraiding her hair. “Did you finally get Daniel to bed?”

“Yeah,” he said, unbuttoning his shirt. “We talked for awhile.” She paused and he saw her skeptical look reflected in the mirror. “Okay, he talked and I listened.”

“Good,” she murmured. 

Jack dropped his shirt down on the low chest at the foot of the bed, sitting down and unlacing his boots. “He doesn’t want to intrude, be a burden, all that kind of stuff.”

“What did you tell him?”

“That he was welcome to stay here with us until he decides what he wants to do.” Jack slipped his boots and socks off, wiggling his toes. “If he wants to stay on Terra, I told him that we’d help him get established, whatever he needs. And I know Teal’c told him the same thing, that he was welcome to make his home on Cal Mah, if he’d prefer that.”

“Good,” she said again, turning back to the mirror and running her fingers through her hair, untangling the long braid. “Maybe he can find a good woman and settle down, start a family.”

Jack grunted something non-committal, watching her with hooded eyes as she picked up her brush. “Let me,” he murmured huskily, standing behind her and plucking the brush from her hand. He started running the brush through her hair, lightly at first, working out the few initial tangles before stroking it through her long hair more firmly. 

He looked at her face in the mirror, expecting to see her eyes closed and the usual dreamy expression she got on her face whenever he brushed her hair, so when her blue eyes were wide open and looking back at him, he was surprised. “What is it?” he asked, keeping up the rhythmic strokes.

“How would you feel about that?” He raised an eyebrow, not sure what she meant and she clarified. “Starting a family?”

Her question surprised him. They had never actually talked about children, but he hadn’t said anything to her when he’d realized she’d stopped using the birth control method that Dereyni had taught her, willing to let nature take its course. “Families are good,” he said, striving for casual.

“I’m glad you think so,” she said, her eyes starting to sparkle, a half-smile light her face. “Because in about seven months or so, we’re going to have one.”

“A family…as in a baby?” he clarified, his hand pausing in mid-brush, even though it was what he had half-expected her to say. She nodded, suddenly looking very shy and unsure, reminding him of when they’d first met. Jack tossed the brush down on the dressing table and pulled her up into his arms, kicking the stool out of the way. 

“Jack!” she squeaked, but she clung to his shoulders and when he lowered his head, her mouth eagerly met his in a deep kiss. When they finally broke apart, both gasping for air, he rested his forehead against hers. Her fingers stroked through his hair and he lifted his head, surprised to still see some question in them. “I take it that means you’re okay with the whole idea of a baby?”

“Yeah,” he murmured, his voice unexpectedly gruff. “I’m okay with a baby.” 

“Good,” she murmured, her fingers trailing lightly across the back of his neck as she started to press soft kisses to his chest. 

Jack started shuffling backwards toward the bed, keeping her in his arms, when he stopped. “Samantha?” he said, holding her by her shoulders. 

“What?” She looked up at him, her blue eyes dazed and her lips so kissable, he almost lost his train of thought. But then he remembered the Jaffa firing on them on Kheb and how she had run to their aid with sticks of dynamite.

“How long have you known?” he demanded, suddenly furious with her—and himself for not noticing anything different with her.

“A couple of weeks,” she said, her eyes and her voice calm.

“Dammit, Samantha! Why didn’t you say something! I never would have let you go with us on that insane mission!”

“And that’s exactly why I didn’t.” Her eyes softened and she took his hand, pressing it to her stomach. “I love you, Jack. We’ve been in this together from the beginning, that doesn’t change just because I’m pregnant.”

Jack flexed his hand lightly, feeling the warmth of her skin through the thin cotton of her gown. He could never stay mad at her for very long and besides, he acknowledged wryly, he knew if their situation had been reversed, he would have done the same thing. “Okay…but just so we’re clear on one thing. No more throwing sticks of dynamite at Jaffa.”

She laughed quietly, smiling up at him and looping her arms around his neck. “It’s a deal—as long as you’re not getting shot at by any Jaffa.”

Jack snorted. As usual, she had him twisted around her little finger. Lowering his head to hers, he whispered, “It’s a deal.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She took her apron and cap off, tossing them down on the scuffed and worn counter. Looking around the shabby interior, she felt an unexpected nostalgia fill her—and she wondered sadly if she’d ever serve Daniel coffee and waffles again. The diner had slowly emptied out until there was only one person left, the occasional rustle of a newspaper the only indication of his presence. Pouring two fresh cups of coffee, Oma made her way over to the occupied corner booth.

With a soft sigh, she sat down across from him; he didn’t pause in reading the newspaper. “Here,” she said, sliding one of the mugs across the table. Her companion took it without setting down the paper.

The paper rustled. “Is he gone?”

Oma picked up her mug and took a sip of the hot coffee, but before she could answer, her companion spoke again. “Oh, never mind. I see it here, on page six.” He folded the newspaper so that page six was on top and set it on the table, facing her, the headline and a picture of Daniel staring up at her.

_Jackson Turns Down Ascension—Again!_

She didn’t read anymore—she didn’t need to. Oma smiled and looked at her companion. “I wonder if we’ll meet again?”

Jim grinned. “You don’t know?” he teased, his blue eyes twinkling.

She chuckled softly. “With Daniel, you never know.”

“He’s an extraordinary man,” Jim added. “If it wasn’t for him….”

“We wouldn’t be together,” she finished for him. They both owed Daniel so much; she only wished there had been more that she could have done for him. But as it was, she had already pushed the others to the limits of their tolerance and only Alaric’s intercession had kept her among their ranks. 

Jim slid out of the booth and held out his hand to her. She took it, the brief glide of his fingers against hers sending a subtle tingle through her before their corporeal forms faded, turning into feathery wisps of energy that slowly unfurled, blending together, rising into space as the diner shimmered and disappeared with them into eternity.

“By the way,” Jim’s voice sounded in her thoughts. “Where did you send him?”

“Home.”

**THE END**


End file.
